Sarah Mensah has made history as the first woman to be named President of Jordan Brand, reports Boardroom TV. As the most successful brand under the Nike umbrella, the Jordan Brand—founded by NBA legend Michael Jordan in 1997—generated $5.2 billion in revenue in 2022.
Mensah will take the reins from former Jordan Brand President Craig Williams who is leaving to become president of Geographies & Marketplace at Nike, Inc.
A veteran of both the NBA and sports apparel industries, Mensah brings a wealth of experience to her new position. At Nike, she served as Senior Director of Strategic Planning and VP, General Manager of Nike North America, leading the iconic brand to a decade of unprecedented growth. She was the first Black woman to hold both positions.
Before her time at Nike, she worked with the Portland Trail Blazers for 19 years in various capacities. As Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer she was responsible for increasing revenue by 105% and season ticket sales by 120% during her tenure.
In an interview with Footwear News, Mensah spoke about being the first Black woman to lead Nike and the brand’s long history with the Black community.
“It’s important to me personally and to our athletes, our employees and our consumers. We talk a lot about listening to them, and the best way to listen is to reflect them,” said Mensah. “I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility because Nike means so much to the Black community. To be the first Black woman leading this geography is an incredible mandate.”
She also spoke about how she handled the changing dynamics of the business from operations and staffing in North America to supply chain issues.
“It’s a challenge every day, the largeness of it. Part of the surprise is that we’re navigating it,” she added. “The secret sauce is a tremendous amount of empathy and communication.”
A graduate of the University of Oregon, Mensah holds degrees in telecommunications and journalism.
