After being crowned the successor to Nike founder
Phil Knight, CEO Mark Parker maintained the company’s
tradition of bold deal making, but the Nike lifer
also showed his willingness to push the company
to new levels.
How so? Try setting a goal to reach $50 billion
in revenue by fiscal year 2020. A big part of that
will be tied to the company’s push globally, with
international markets already contributing more
than 60 percent of the company’s revenue. Toward
that goal, Nike hired its first chief digital officer
to build upon its e-commerce markets overseas.
Back home in the U.S., Nike reached a massive,
$1 billion deal for the NBA’s jersey rights, continued
to sign top athletes, and locked down key
college programs including Michigan, Ohio State
and Texas. And while the college space provided
a broader palette for uniform design, Nike even
found an opening in the tradition-rich NFL with
the debut of Color Rush uniforms.
The company stepped up efforts to reach women,
raised the revenue bar for its iconic Jordan Brand by
looking beyond the hoops market, and continued
to invest heavily in technology and innovation.
Such moves, under Parker’s direction, have
analysts bullish on Nike’s future and its ability to
revitalize the marketplace.