Following the sneaker reselling scandal, Nike has decided to make some major changes at the senior leadership level. The company has named a new head for its North America business after Ann Hebert resigned over the resale business controversy. The sportswear giant has now named Sarah Mensah as the new vice president and general manager of Nike North America. The announcement by the company was prefaced with a note that the main of the company is to focus on Consumer Direct Acceleration. But a lot of attention has been given to the name that has replaced Hebert.
Mensah earlier worked as the general manager and vice president of Nike’s Latin America and Asia Pacific region operations. Before joining the company, she worked as the Chief Operating Officer with NBA’s Portland Trailblazers. There are some other executive-level changes in the company. Under this, Amy Montagne has been appointed as the vice president and general manager of the Asia Pacific and Latin America region. They both will directly report to Heidi O’Neill, president of consumer and marketplace at Nike. Commenting on the development, O’Neill said that both of them are very dynamic leaders. “They have required expertise and deep experience for these important roles. Mensah has demonstrated her ability to deliver on various occasions and I look forward to bringing positive changes. Amy has huge experience across global categories of the company and it will be instrumental in the growth,” said O’Neill.
Also, Aaron Cain will be the new vice president and general manager of the Men’s category. Cain has been with the company since 2004 and has worked in various capacities. Cain will have direct reporting to Michael Spillane, President of Consumer Creation. The change in leadership started after the resale scandal was reported. Ann Hebert’s son was involved in the scandal. Joe is a college dropout and used computer programs to purchase shoos even before they were released online. He then resold them at a higher price and made a good amount of profit.
