According to WWD, Lululemon Athletica Inc. CEO Heidi O’Neill made two key appointments on Friday as she assembles the team that will lead the company’s reset.
Ben Hallam will join on Monday as chief brand officer, reporting directly to O’Neill as part of the senior leadership team. Most recently senior vice president of marketing at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Hallam will lead global brand marketing, brand creative, store experience and community, including sports marketing, partnerships and social impact.
Emily Sunderland, a managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group, was named chief strategy officer. She will take up the post on November 23 and report to chief financial officer Meghan Frank.
A team built for the next chapter
The appointments follow a new senior leadership structure that O’Neill established last month, which Lululemon described as “designed to strengthen the company’s competitive position and build the capabilities required for its next chapter of growth.” Maggie Gauger joined from Athleta as president and chief product officer, and Joseph Godsey came from Walmart Canada as chief operating officer. The company is still searching for a chief technology officer and a chief communications officer.
As WWD notes, the Vancouver-based company “has gone from activewear juggernaut to restructuring case study over the past couple years,” facing a struggling business, active opposition from founder Chip Wilson and pressure from other activist investors. “There have been a lot of people with a lot of ideas about how to fix Lululemon,” WWD writes. “But the group being assembled now by O’Neill will be the ones who actually put their ideas to work.”
From hotel lobby to store floor
O’Neill’s choice of a hospitality executive to steer the brand signals where she sees the company’s future: in the experience customers feel at every touchpoint.
“Ben brings an exceptional combination of creative vision, commercial discipline and experience transforming iconic, premium brands at scale,” O’Neill said. “He has led brand, marketing and creative teams across markets and has a deep understanding of culture and how to connect with consumers globally. His proven ability to translate brand strategy into distinctive and compelling guest experiences will be critical as we strengthen how our brand comes to life across every touchpoint. Ben will play a central role in building a stronger and more competitive Lululemon.”
Hallam described Lululemon as “an extraordinary brand with a strong heritage of innovation and a meaningful connection with its community.”
“I’m excited to build on those strengths, bringing together compelling brand storytelling and premium, distinctive experiences that make Lululemon even more relevant for guests around the world,” he said.
A leader shaped by growth
According to Lululemon, O’Neill brings more than three decades of growth and turnaround experience in athletic apparel. During more than 25 years at Nike, most recently as President, Consumer, Product & Brand, she played a central role in the company’s growth from a $9 billion-plus business into a $45 billion-plus global leader. She led operations across more than 170 countries and built Nike’s Women’s business into a multibillion-dollar franchise. She currently serves on the board of Hyatt Hotels and has previously served on boards including Spotify.
The leadership lens
In a turnaround, the instinct is often to fix the numbers first. O’Neill’s first moves suggest a different order: rebuild the team, and let the team rebuild the brand. The language she and Hallam use, “connect,” “community,” “guest experiences,” “comes to life,” is the language of energy as much as strategy. A brand, like a team, cannot give customers an experience its own people do not feel.
Sources: WWD, “Lululemon CEO Heidi O’Neill Fills Key Brand and Strategy Positions for Reset”; Lululemon Athletica Inc., executive biography of Heidi O’Neill.
