Sneaker giant Nike has promoted its Chief Supply Chain Officer, Venkatesh Alagirisamy, who will take on an expanded role as Executive Vice President and COO, with responsibility for integrating all technology more seamlessly across the company. This expanded responsibility is a prime example of how digital technology and automation now drive entire businesses, with the supply chain serving as the organization’s main lifeline.
At the same time, Nike is eliminating the roles of Chief Technical Officer and Chief Commercial Officer as it establishes the new position of Chief Operating Officer. Venkatesh Alagirisamy is now responsible for the entire supply chain, including planning, operations, manufacturing, sustainability, and technology. Along with Alagirisamy’s appointment, a series of leadership changes were announced aimed at accelerating decision-making. This comes as Nike’s CEO, Elliott Hill, enters his second year in the role. Since his appointment, Hill has frequently spoken about the need to act more quickly, as Nike has lost market share and finds itself in an increasingly competitive market. The goal of the organizational changes is to give the business the fresh start it needs to reverse this trend.
“Alagirisamy and his team will now lead the company’s efforts to more seamlessly integrate technology throughout the organization and into how we create, plan, manufacture, deliver, and sell our world-class innovations under our three iconic brands,” writes Elliot Hill in a message to employees, which was also distributed as a press release.
Venkatesh Alagirisamy has worked at Nike for nearly 20 years and, since 2020, has led the company’s global supply chain, including the group’s overall sustainability efforts.
