CFO moves to COO role in Nike shuffle

Dive Brief:

Nike's new CEO John Donahoe made his first executive appointments on Tuesday, following a couple of retirements in the C-suite.
Andy Campion, currently the retailer's CFO, will take over from Eric Sprunk as chief operating officer, following Sprunk's retirement. Matthew Friend, CFO of Nike's operating segments and vice president of investor relations, will take over as CFO of Nike, according to a company press release.
As COO, Campion will tap his experience as CFO since 2015 to lead in a more operationally focused role, and Friend, as new CFO, will benefit from deep experience in several finance roles he's held since 2009.

Dive Insight:

Donahoe has made his first executive changes at Nike after taking over from long-time CEO Mark Parker in January. The announcement follows a similar C-suite shuffle by rival Under Armour's Patrik Frisk a couple of weeks ago.

Sprunk, who is retiring from Nike, has occupied the COO role since 2013 and has been part of the brand's top management even longer, previously serving as vice president of merchandising and product.

Heidi O'Neill, currently president of Nike Direct, is replacing Elliott Hill as president of consumer and marketplace, upon his retirement. Both appointments are effective April 1, and both Hill and Sprunk will stay on with the company until later in the year. Hill has held his current role as president of consumer and marketplace since 2018 — an increasingly important position as Nike shifts towards direct sales channels and away from platforms like Amazon.

O'Neill has a long history with the brand, as a 21-year veteran and the leader of the brand's Nike Direct efforts. Execs in the Nike Direct unit, led by O'Neill, are responsible for some of the brand's new store concepts, including the localized, mobile-activated Nike Live store and the House of Innovation flagships.

In her new role, O'Neill will take over responsibility for Nike's four geographic operating regions, and will also lead the Global Sales and Nike Direct divisions.

Campion has been CFO since 2015, and his shift to COO means a broader range of responsibilities, including Nike's global technology and transformation, sourcing and manufacturing, demand and supply management, distribution and logistics, procurement, sustainability and workplace design, and connectivity.

Friend, his replacement as CFO, has been with Nike since 2009 and worked in various senior financial roles, including as CFO of emerging markets, CFO of global categories, product and functions, and CFO of the Nike brand.

Donahoe highlighted the fact that the appointments are coming from within Nike, saying in a statement that the leadership changes "demonstrate the strength of the Nike management bench" and will "set up the company for continued growth."