NIKE, Inc. Hires Lee Bird to Head Subsidiaries

BEAVERTON, Ore., June 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NIKE, Inc. today announced that Lee Bird will join the company July 10 as President, Subsidiaries, reporting to CEO Mark Parker. In this role, Bird will lead new business development and long-term growth strategies for the company's Converse, Cole Haan, Hurley International and Exeter Brands Group businesses.

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Bird, 42, brings to the role more than 20 years of operations, finance, and business development experience at multinational companies with diverse brand portfolios. Most recently, he was Executive Vice President of New Business Development for Gap Inc. Prior to that role, Bird was Chief Operating Officer of Gap and Chief Financial Officer of Old Navy.

"Lee has terrific brand, retail, operations and leadership experience," Parker said. "Nike's subsidiaries are an important part of our long-term growth strategy to bring innovation and new consumer experiences to customer segments not served by the Nike brand. We look forward to Lee's leadership in continuing to grow and realize the full potential of these businesses."

While the Nike brand continues to be the core driver of long-term revenue and earnings growth for the company, Nike has significantly expanded its corporate portfolio in recent years with the creation of Exeter Brands Group in 2004, the acquisition of Converse in 2003 and Hurley International in 2002. Cole Haan has been part of Nike, Inc. since 1988.

About NIKE, Inc.

NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; NIKE Bauer Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan, a leading designer and marketer of luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for the value retail channel.