Nike Golf President CINDY DAVIS, the "first woman to be named president of a major golf equipment company and still the highest ranking female executive in the game, announced her retirement" yesterday afternoon, according to Stachura & Johnson of GOLFDIGEST.com. Nike announced that a successor to Davis "will be named at a later date." In her six-plus years at the helm, Nike Golf has seen its sales hold "relatively steady and the company remained one of the game’s leading brands yet still trail TaylorMade-adidas Golf, Callaway Golf and Acushnet." Davis "has overseen Nike's golf division through a transition between two of the game's dominant players" in TIGER WOODS and RORY MCILROY (GOLFDIGEST.com, 10/7). GOLF WEEK's David Dusek noted Davis took over as Nike Golf GM in '04, and "after four years, she became president." Before joining Nike, she had been a Senior VP at Golf Channel and "worked at Arnold Palmer Golf and the LPGA." Davis will be "transitioning with the company through the end of October." Nike Global Categories VP & GM JAYME MARTIN is "expected to oversee Nike Golf until a permanent successor to Davis is named" (GOLFWEEK.com, 10/7). In Portland, Allan Brettman notes Nike "framed the departure" as a retirement. Nike Golf, "like its competitors, has been hurt by a downturn in public participation in the sport." Nike Golf has "always been minuscule when compared with other sports under the Nike Brand banner" (Portland OREGONIAN, 10/8).
STAFFING THE SWOOSH: The OREGONIAN's Brettman notes Nike has "created more than 2,000 new jobs in Oregon since Gov. JOHN KITZHABER signed an agreement with the sportswear company requiring 500 jobs" by the end of '16 to "support Nike's headquarters expansion." Globally, Nike employment "has been booming over the past five years." The company in June '10 "had 34,400 employees worldwide," and this June had 56,500, up 64%. At Nike's World HQ, employment had jumped 50% "from the company's 5,800 employees in June 2010 to the 8,709 at the end of September" (Portland OREGONIAN, 10/8).
