NKE Nike Inc

By Sara Germano 

Nike Inc. said it had received complaints about inappropriate workplace behavior and that its No. 2 executive has resigned, setting off a management shuffle at the sportswear giant.

The company said Trevor Edwards, Nike brand president and a potential successor to Chief Executive Mark Parker, will leave his position immediately and retire from the company in August.

In an internal memo to staff announcing the departure, Mr. Parker disclosed that the company in recent weeks had received reports of "behavior occurring within our organization that do not reflect our core values of inclusivity, respect and empowerment."

"We've heard from strong and courageous employees," he wrote, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Parker didn't specify the nature of the complaints or whether they involved Mr. Edwards or other executives. A Nike spokesman said there were no allegations against Mr. Edwards and declined to provide details.

Mr. Edwards didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Parker said Nike was conducting a review of the company's human-resources systems and practices for elevating internal complaints. "This has been a very difficult time," he wrote.

As part of the management shake-up, Mr. Parker said he now planned to remain Nike's chairman and CEO beyond 2020. In his memo, he said he was reorganizing the leadership to "allow for closer management and a sharper focus on our culture."

Both Mr. Parker and Mr. Edwards, like many of Nike's top leaders, have spent decades at the Beaverton, Ore., company. Mr. Parker joined Nike as a footwear designer in 1979 and has been CEO since 2006.

Mr. Edwards, 55 years old, joined Nike in 1992 as a regional marketing manager and worked his way up the leadership ranks. He is credited with championing Nike's push into fitness tracking. Since 2013 he has been president of Nike Brand and widely considered the heir apparent to the CEO. Mr. Edwards, who was born in London and grew up in Jamaica, previously worked at Colgate-Palmolive Co.

Nike's human-resources chief, Monique Matheson, has run that organization for nearly a decade. The company's chief operating officer joined 25 years ago and its general counsel has served in that role for eight years.

Mr. Parker said Thursday he was promoting another Nike veteran, Elliott Hill, to the newly created role of president of consumer and marketplace, which will encompass some of Mr. Edwards's duties. Previously, Mr. Hill was president of Nike's geographies and integrated marketplace. He joined as a regional salesman in 1988.

Write to Sara Germano at sara.germano@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 15, 2018 20:13 ET (00:13 GMT)

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