Nike’s chief executive Mark Parker will bow out on what he described as “a position of strength” after the latest results showed that controversies during his 13-year tenure had done little to hold back the US sportswear company’s financial performance.
Mr Parker, who is passing the reins to technology industry executive John Donahoe next month, said the business and brand were “as strong as they’ve ever been” after quarterly revenues jumped at each of Nike’s four geographical divisions, led by China.
Among a series of political criticisms drawn by the company in recent months, Nike was singled out by Mike Pence, the US vice-president, over its approach to doing business in China.