Dive Brief: 

• Nike’s longtime executive vice president and chief communications officer Nigel Powell is stepping down this spring, with plans to hand the role to KeJuan Wilkins, the company’s vice president of enterprise communications. 
• The role change is effective June 1. Wilkins most recently has led Nike’s worldwide corporate and employee communications. He’s previously steered communications for Nike’s North American territory and for the Jordan brand. 
• Powell leaves a legacy of navigating Nike through thorny political issues. For instance, he pushed the company to support Colin Kaepernick when NFL teams refused to sign the quarterback — despite his above average player stats — after he kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism. 

Dive Insight: 

Nike has faced its fair share of controversies over the past two decades, often finding itself at the center of political debates and mulling whether to continue contracts with athletes in the midst of sports scandals. 

Kaepernick’s decision to kneel while the national anthem played before NFL games is among the most notable examples in recent history. When Kaepernick couldn’t find an NFL team to sign him after the 2016 season, Nike’s marketing executives decided to end the company’s contract with him, The New York Times reported. 

But the decision angered Powell, who convinced Nike to keep Kaepernick on its roster of athletes to avoid siding with the NFL, potentially inflaming consumers and the media, the publication reported. 

Nike eventually made Kaepernick the face of a viral advertising campaign that drew praise from market analysts. 

In the announcement Wednesday, John Donahoe, Nike’s president and CEO, praised Powell’s 24-year run at the company. 

“Nigel has been a visionary communicator leading and driving some of the biggest, most complex, and impactful moments for the brand,” he said in a statement. “We thank him for his years of service to the business and wish him the very best in his retirement.”

The incoming chief communications officer, Wilkins, has had a long career with Nike, joining the company 17 years ago after holding roles in the athletic footwear industry and with the New York Knicks, according to the announcement. In the new role, he will be responsible for leading Nike’s corporate, consumer and employee communications. 

He is also no stranger to sports controversies. In 2013, he communicated Nike’s plans to the media to cut ties with Oscar Pistorius, a South African sprinter who was convicted of murder, and to stop producing Livestrong products amid Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal. 

Wilkins also communicated to the media when Nike’s previous CEO, Mark Parker, stepped down from the role in 2019 amid a string of controversies. 

Donahoe called Wilkins a “best-in-class communications expert” who is poised to help grow the company. 

“His knowledge, insights, and forward-thinking will be great assets to our executive leadership team,” Donahoe said.