18 Aug Nike promotes long-time executive Heidi O’Neill to head of Nike Stores
Long-time Nike executive Heidi O’Neill has been named vice president and general manager of Nike Stores, a newly created job responsible for overseeing its global retailing, including Nike-branded partner stores, the company announced Thursday.
“O’Neill will be responsible for further elevating consumers’ experience of the Nike Brand at retail including development of new store concepts,” the company said in a news release posted to its website Thursday evening.
O’Neill, 49, joined Nike in 1998 as a marketing director for apparel. Most recently, she has been vice president and general manager of Nike Women’s.
That category accounted for $5 billion in annual wholesale revenue in the most recent fiscal year and is expected to grow to nearly $7 billion by fiscal year 2017. Nike’s Women’s business makes up less than 25 percent of the $27.8 billion company’s overall revenue, based on officials’ statements last year. But that percentage is expected to grow through direct-to-consumer channels such as Nike’s websites and branded stores, as well as through its wholesale partners.
O’Neill was appointed head of Nike’s global women’s fitness business in January 2007.
Prior to Nike, O’Neill held positions as the marketing director for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss Co and as Vice President, Management Supervisor, at Foote Cone Belding in San Francisco.
Also on Thursday, Nike announced Amy Montagne would be vice president and general manager of Nike Women’s, succeeding O’Neill.
“Montagne will be responsible for expanding Nike’s brand position with women and continuing to drive the current momentum within Nike’s Women’s business,” the news release said.
Montagne joined Nike in 2005 and has held a range of global roles, including vice president of Global Running Merchandising and, most recently, vice president and general manager of Global Merchandising.
“These two appointments demonstrate our commitment to investing in our retail experience and our women’s business — two of our most strategic growth opportunities,” Nike Brand president Trevor Edwards said in the release.
— Allan Brettman