lululemon
Canadian sportswear brand Lululemon Athletica Inc. has appointed Heidi O’Neill as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective September 8.
After assuming the role, Heidi O’Neill will be based in Vancouver, Canada, and join lululemon’s Board of Directors.
Heidi O’Neill’s previous role was President of Consumer, Product & Brand at US sportswear giant Nike. She retired in 2025. During her tenure, she was responsible for Nike’s global consumer and product system, reshaped the brand’s foundations, shortened product development cycles to accelerate speed to market, and focused on driving renewed growth momentum for the global football and running businesses. She joined Nike in 1998 as Marketing Director and subsequently held multiple senior executive positions within the group.
Heidi O’Neill is a consumer-focused, forward-looking leader with more than three decades of experience in global brand strategy, product innovation, and operational execution. She has a strong track record of driving disruptive change and growth at scale through product innovation, digital transformation, and powerful brand connections.
Heidi O’Neill began her career at the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding, and later served as Marketing Director for Dockers, a brand under Levi Strauss & Co. She has also served on the boards of Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels, and Lithia & Driveway.
Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue to serve as interim co-CEOs until Heidi O’Neill assumes the role. At that time, they will return to their previous senior management positions and work closely with Heidi O’Neill and the rest of the management team to drive business development.
Marti Morfitt, Executive Chair of lululemon’s Board of Directors, said, “Heidi is an inspiring leader and a consumer-oriented brand strategy expert. She can not only look ahead and envision a new future for a brand, but also build the organisational structure and processes needed to realise that vision. The company’s Board conducted an extensive and in-depth search to identify the next leader who can guide lululemon forward. We chose Heidi precisely because of her broad experience, her successful track record in scaling breakthrough ideas and initiatives, and her expertise in driving transformation and growth. We are very pleased to welcome Heidi to lululemon and look forward to the strategic and creative perspective she will bring to the company.”
Puma
German sportswear brand Puma has announced its latest executive appointments:
- Bertrand Blanc has been appointed Vice President Global Wholesale, effective May 1
- Laurent Fricker has been appointed Vice President of the Sportstyle Business Unit, effective June 1
Above: Bertrand Blanc and Laurent Fricker
After assuming the role, Bertrand Blanc will be responsible for leading the team and expanding Puma’s partnerships with strategic retailers globally and in key markets.
Over the past two years, Bertrand Blanc has provided commercial strategy consulting services to a number of sports and sportswear brands through his own company. Before that, he served as Global Racquet Sports Director at Wilson, a company under Amer Sports Group, which owns brands including Arc’teryx and Salomon, for nine years. Bertrand Blanc graduated from EM Lyon Business School in France. He began his career at IBM, where he worked for more than five years before moving into the sporting goods industry.
He joined Nike in 2007 and worked there for nearly five years, during which time he was responsible for the Foot Locker account business in Europe – Foot Locker was one of Nike’s key retailers in Europe at the time. From 2012 to 2015, he led the expansion of the running business at Asics Europe and built partnerships with digital partners.
After assuming the role, Laurent Fricker will be responsible for further optimising the product line-up and creating products with cultural influence among consumers.
Laurent Fricker previously worked at adidas for more than 20 years. Over the past two years, he was responsible for the Adidas Originals business in Europe, while also overseeing the basketball category and collaborations business. He joined adidas in 2006 as a sales representative for multi-brand retail channels in southern France, and rose through the ranks before later taking charge of Reebok’s European business.
JD Sports Fashion
British sporting goods retail group JD Sports Fashion, hereinafter referred to as “JD Sports”, has announced that Chair Andrew Higginson will step down on July 21.
JD Sports said the Board has launched the search for a successor.
Andrew Higginson has served as Chair of JD Sports since 2022. During his tenure, he led JD Sports’ global expansion, with approximately 40% of the company’s business now coming from the US market, and also reformed the company’s governance structure.
Andrew Higginson is an experienced and highly accomplished retail executive and chairman, with nearly 35 years of continuous experience as a director of listed companies, including both executive and non-executive director roles. This includes 15 years as an Executive Director at Tesco plc and, until recently, seven years as Chair of William Morrison Supermarkets plc. He previously also served as Senior Independent Director of Sky plc and Flutter plc.
After the annual general meeting on July 21, independent non-executive director Darren Shapland will become interim Chair until a permanent Chair is appointed.
| Sources: Official press releases, Reuters
| Image Credit: Personal social media accounts
| Editor: Luxeplace
