From trainee to the top job at Nike. That’s the story of Elliott Hill, who has just been appointed CEO of the sportswear brand with the comma. An appointment that has galvanised the media and the professional world, made by a man who knows the American equipment manufacturer like the back of his hand.
He is the perfect example of internal promotion. A graduate of Texas Christian University and Ohio University with a master’s degree in sports management, Elliott Hill joined Nike in 1988 as a sales trainee in the textile segment. He stayed with the brand until 2020, holding around twenty positions over three decades. This autumn, at the age of 60, he reaches the apotheosis of his career.
32 years’ experience at Nike
His career could be the subject of a course on business success entitled ‘Entering by the back door to climb the hierarchy’. A definition that seems to have been devised by him and for him.
Arriving at Nike after his studies, Elliott Hill gradually worked his way up to the top of the American brand. It’s hard to name all the positions he has held at the American sports brand, as the businessman has held no fewer than 19. In 1991, he joined the sales team before becoming manager four years later. In 1998, he became director of team sports, before taking on his first role as vice-president of sales and retail EMEA in 2000.
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From 2000 to 2010, he was promoted no less than five times as vice-president in charge of commercial aspects in the United States. In 2013, Elliott Hill became President of Geographies & Sales and, in 2018, President of Consumer and Market, where he oversees a budget of 39 billion dollars.
Two years later, in 2020, he was approached to take the helm of the Group. In the end, it was John Donahoe, poached from Ebay, who was appointed. The new CEO embarked on a restructuring programme. Elliott Hill left the company of his own free will. A well-deserved but short-lived retirement.
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Elliott Hill makes a comeback
On 19 September, John Donahoe announced his resignation. At the same time, Nike opted for internal promotion and called back an old hand : Elliott Hill. The businessman took up the ultimate post of CEO of the comma-shaped giant and joined the board of directors on 14 October.
‘The Board of Directors concluded that Elliott’s global expertise, leadership style and deep understanding of our industry and our stakeholders, combined with his passion for sport, our brands, our products, our consumers, our athletes and our employees, make him the ideal person to lead Nike’s next stage of growth’ said Mark Parker, Nike’s executive chairman, in a statement.
With a deep understanding of the business and the support of his former colleagues, Hill said he was ‘looking forward to reconnecting with the many trusted employees and partners’ he had worked with ‘over the years’. His annual salary has been set at 1.5 million dollars.
‘When I’m not working, I spend time with my wonderful wife, Gina, and our two wonderful children, Peyton and Austin. Sport is also a big part of my life. I enjoy running, hiking, biking, skiing, fly-fishing and playing for the Austin Moontowers baseball team that I founded in Austin’ says Elliott Hill on his LinkedIn account, along with a description of his duties at Nike.
However, Elliott Hill will have to devote less time to his family and leisure activities in the coming months. He will have to deal with the instability of the market and the loss of momentum suffered by the sports equipment manufacturer, which posted sales of $51.4 billion in its 2023-2024 financial year, compared with $51.2 billion the previous year, representing a very slight increase of 1%. Net profit rose by 12% to 5.7 billion dollars.
According to information reported by AFP, the multinational expects sales to fall by around 5% by 2025. Elliott Hill will therefore have the primary objective, or rather the onerous task, of revitalising Nike’s revenues.
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Featured photo: Elliott Hill © Nike
