Elliot Hill will succeed John Donahoe on October 14, 2024, as the head of the sports company, Nike. Hill has spent over three decades working for Nike and is prepared to face massive challenges, such as high sales and a renewed popularity for the brand. Many consumers of the brand, Nike, have changed their allegiance to companies like On and Hoka in the past.
Hill’s Journey From Intern To CEO
A career history at Nike. In 1988, he graduated from Ohio University, and soon after landed an internship in Nike’s sales department. He was helped out by a representative of the same company who spoke to his class in sports marketing. Hill spent two years working as an intern before entering the sales team. For the next few decades, he steadily worked through the ranks, moving on to leadership positions within the company.
By 1998, Hill had risen through the ranks to become the Director of Nike’s Team Sports Division. He is an alumnus who later held Vice Presidential positions in departments such as EMEA Sales, USA Commerce, and Global Retail. His efforts paid off through the position of President, Geographies and Sales, 2013. He has retired and now comes back to lead the company.
Hill’s Career Goes Viral
A viral post on X (formerly Twitter) by Joe Pompliano recently shared Hill’s journey, from intern to Nike’s CEO. The post attached Hill’s LinkedIn profile as he attracted over 1.9 million views and 58,000 likes; many users admired his long-term loyalty to Nike. Someone even described his career as “unbelievably rare,” compared to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
A Huger Compensation From Nike
In September 2024, Nike announced Hill would return as CEO with a $27 million compensation package, which includes $7 million in cash and equity. And on performance-based goals, he could earn up to $20 million in cash and stock. The success of Hill as the new CEO is the most important step for Nike as it faces extremely competitive standards posed by other brands in the market.
Hill was ecstatic about joining Nike again. “Nike has always been a core part of who I am, and I’m ready to help lead it to an even brighter future,” he said in a statement. He also said that he is ready to connect with old friends and make new friends to take Nike to the next level.
