Nike has officially announced that Elliot Hill, formerly in charge of the company’s consumer marketplace, will be taking over as Nike’s president and CEO as of 14 October 2024. Hill will be replacing John Donahoe who has held both positions since 2020 and has recently retired after nearly five years in office.
Donahoe’s resignation and retirement don’t come as a massive surprise to both loyal Nike followers and critics alike, as he’s received a great deal of criticism regarding the brand’s lack of innovation in recent years.
In fact, industry leaders have grown increasingly critical of his decisions more generally, especially after his controversial decision to enact a large number of top-heavy layoffs in response to slumping sales numbers.
The announcement of John Donahoe stepping away from the company was soon overshadowed, however, by the company’s decision to bring in Nike “veteran”, Elliot Hill.
Not only did the board make a seemingly quick decision in bringing back this familiar face, but the move has also raised questions that were previously put to rest – that is, was the timing of Hill’s departure in 2020 linked to Donahoe’s appointment just before, or was it unrelated?
Well, there are now two noteworthy instances of Hill and Donahoe seemingly avoiding paths, and this certainly seems to indicate that their working together has never really been a particularly desired outcome.
Either way, however, Donahoe is out and Hill is in. So, what does that mean for Nike?
Who is Elliot Hill?
Elliot Hill is more than just another big-shot businessman stepping in to take over a successful company. Not only does he have a long history at Nike, but his story is actually quite incredible.
Indeed, his appointment as president and CEO may give him the ultimate “rags-to-riches” story, having come full circle since his start at the company as a mere intern.
It’s not every day that you hear of someone who managed to move up the ladder from the very bottom to the very top. Sure, plenty of ordinary people have risen through the ranks within their companies, but those stories are normally confined to having started fairly low in the company and eventually achieving relative success and seniority.
Hill’s journey, however, has led him from arguably the lowest position of an unpaid intern to the absolute highest position of president and chief executive officer.
Elliot Hill’s Career at Nike
A graduate of Texas Christian University in 1986, Hill has a fairly extensive background in sports, considering the number of years he’s been involved in Nike.
Having achieved a Bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, he went on to work as an assistant athletic trainer for none other than the highly esteemed Dallas Cowboys before bagging the position that led him to where he is today – an intern in Nike’s apparel sales department in Texas.
After starting out as an intern in 1988, Hill managed to work his way through through ranks, earning his stripes in sales and eventually into the upper echelons of management. He served as both president and vice president of several divisions and departments of the company until finally taking on the position of president of Consumer and Marketplace where he remained for two years between 2018 and 2020.
In many ways, Elliot Hill has always been the ideal employee, with not only great interest and a solid educational background in sports but also a tremendous amount of experience in business as a result of the 32 years he spent working through the ranks at Nike.
Now, when we say he held a plethora of different titles at the company, we’re not messing around. Elliot Hill’s track record at Nike includes the following positions throughout his career:
- 1988-1990: Intern in Apparel Sales
- 1990-1991: Sales, Sports Graphics
- 1991-1994: Team Sales
- 1994-1996: Sales Reprasentative
- 1996-1998: Sales Management
- 1998-2000: Director of Team Sports Division
- 2000-2003: Vice President of EMEA Sales and Retail
- 2003-2004: Vice President and General Manager of USA Retail
- 2004-2005: Vice President of USA Commerce
- 2006-2010: Vice President of Global Retail
- 2010-2013: Vice President and General Manager of North America
- 2013-2016: President of Geographies and Sales
- 2016-2018: President of Geographies and Integrated Marketplace
- 2018-2020: President of Consumer and Marketplace
While he never spoke publicly about the exact reasoning behind his departure from Nike and general retirement in 2020, many have speculated that it may have had something to do with the appointment of John Donahoe as CEO and President of the company.
Of course, it’s also possible that Hill’s departure was simply due to his readiness to move on, as he went on to enjoy his retirement in his home state of Texas. He started his own recreational baseball team, the Austin Moontowers, and has also since served on several other boards.
Regardless of why he left, his feelings about John Donahoe and whether or not he’s been vying to return to Nike, John Donahoe is currently finishing out his tenure at Nike and Hill is getting ready to make his triumphant return in mid-October, just over two weeks from now.
A man with a pretty good record at the company that employed him for 30-odd years, Hill was a pretty popular character at Nike and seems to be returning in good spirits. Nike’s board and loyal fanbase appear to have high hopes for the veteran’s ability to turn things around, regain some competitive advantage and get back in the game, but for now, at least, it’ll be interesting to see what his first moves as CEO and President are.
