MARKETING APPOINTMENTS
New chief marketing officer swooshes into the Nike hot seat next year
By our News Team | 2023
Company marketing veteran set to return from January 2024 as part of an executive reshuffle to push ‘next era of growth’.
As it faces increasingly tough competition in the sportswear market, Nike has announced the appointment of a new global chief marketing officer.
She is Nicole Hubbard Graham, who takes over in January 2024 to succeed the brand’s long-standing CMO, Dirk-Jan (known as ‘DJ’) van Hameren, who is retiring next year.
Van Hameren has served as Nike’s head of marketing since 2018 and has been at the company for 31 years. He is a former a former Olympic cyclist.
Photo by Toro Tseleng from Pexels
Graham is no stranger to the Nike brand, having worked there for almost 20 years before leaving in 2021 to be part of an advertising agency start-up called Adopt. In her previous roles at Nike, she managed its global marketing teams and its direct-to-consumer business.
In a press release issued this week, Nike says she will “oversee all aspects of marketing, aligning the company’s brand voice against its next era of growth”.
Built a world-class marketing team
The press release adds that “Van Hameren has been a visionary leader at the cornerstone of Nike’s global brand storytelling. His leadership propelled the business over three decades and built the brand’s world-class marketing team”.
Another brand-focused change at executive level is John Hoke, a 30-year Nike veteran, who will become Chief Innovation Officer. He most recently served as Nike’s first Chief Design Officer and will partner with Tom Clarke, President of Innovation, to “amplify and accelerate Nike’s innovation strategy and distinction”.
According to the industry publication, Marketing Dive, “fresh marketing leadership is part of a larger executive shuffle at Nike, one of several this year”.
Another industry publication, Ad Week, is reporting that up to 70 people within Nike’s brand creative team have been laid off. At the time of writing, this had not been confirmed by Nike.

Ghanaian consumers reward brands giving ‘relief at the shelf’
Market researchers believe it’s not simply bargain hunting. It is a recalibration by consumers of what constitutes value.

Grow your marketing career with the AMC’s Africa-focused short courses
Confederation has fast-paced online Express Courses you can complete in a week, to in-depth studies taking up to 10 months.

Holistic wellbeing and authenticity among the big consumer drivers
‘Top Global Consumer Trends’ report for 2026 identifies four trends that highlight crucial shifts in consumer behaviour.

2025 World Marketing Forum gets underway in Colombo, Sri Lanka
The forum is a premier event that brings together marketing professionals, thought leaders and innovators from across the globe.

Why FMCG brands in Africa must tailor strategy, not just translate it
If you want to win on the continent as a marketer, don’t just scale. Localise, adapt your strategies and stay close to the consumer.

Advanced out-of-home measurement platform launched onto Ghanaian market
Moving Walls and Publicis West Africa partner to offer a new service that delivers real-time OOH analytics for marketers and agencies.

Writing emotional product reviews increases our brand loyalty – study
While factual reviews benefit readers, writing these reviews can ultimately hinder the authors’ referral and repurchase behaviours.

Out now! New issue brings latest insights for Africa’s marketers
The latest issue of Strategic Marketing for Africa, the magazine for deep-thinking African marketing professionals, is now available.

Fionna Ronnie becomes Chairperson of Marketing and Media Alliance SA
Ronnie becomes Chair at a time the MMA is rebranding and showing a stronger commitment to the sub-Saharan Africa region.