Nike has tapped Dantley Davis as the company’s VP of digital design.
Davis, who announced the role change on Twitter and LinkedIn, previously served as the first chief designer officer at Twitter since June of 2019. According to his LinkedIn profile, he also served as the director of product design at Facebook and as a design director at Netflix.
“Today marks the next chapter in my career and I’m honored to be joining Nike as Vice President of Digital Design,” Davis wrote on LinkedIn last week. “Nike’s principles have always resonated with me as they understand that sport can unite us. For me personally, Nike also represents culture, music, and fashion, which sounds like a dream combination!”
FN has reached out to Nike for comment.
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The news marks a major executive appointment for Nike after a handful of notable departures. According to a Complex report, a handful of top ranking designers left the company in November.
The appointment also comes as Nike doubles down on its digital capabilities, including e-commerce, mobile apps and experiences in the metaverse. In December, Nike acquired RTFKT, a digital creator of virtual sneakers, collectibles and accessories, in a bid to expand its influence in the metaverse. In the wake of the deal, Stifel analysts said the acquisition had “strategic value” to help “expedite the expansion into Nike’s potential NFT offerings.”
In March, Nike reported results for the third quarter of 2022 that beat analysts’ expectations, despite ongoing challenges from the supply chain crisis. The athletic giant reported revenues of $10.9 billion for Q3, up 5% year over year and 8% on a currency-neutral basis. This beat estimates of $10.59 billion in revenues from a Yahoo survey of analysts and was driven by Nike direct growth of 17%. Net income was $1.4 billion, down 4% year over year. Diluted earnings per share were 87 cents, which also beat analysts’ predictions of 71 cents.
The performance was driven by strong results from its digital and DTC business. Nike’s direct sales were $4.6 billion, up 15% on a reported basis and up 17% on a currency-neutral basis. Nike’s digital sales grew 19%, driven by a 33% growth in North America. Sales in Nike-owned stores were up 14% while wholesale revenues declined 1% on a reported basis but were up 1% on a currency-neutral basis.
