Nike ups Jarvis Sam to chief DE&I officer

Nike has promoted Jarvis Sam to chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. 

“[DE&I] has been the thread weaving together my passion, profession, personal beliefs, and intersectional identity,” he said in a LinkedIn post. “I believe in the power of inclusivity and share in Nike’s belief that we are at our best when every member of our team feels respected, included, and heard.”

Sam and a Nike representative could not be immediately reached for further comment. 

In May, Nike said that Felicia Mayo, chief talent, diversity and culture officer, would leave the company at the end of July, according to an internal memo seen by the Financial Times. 

Last year, Nike created a five-year program for making the company increasingly diverse and said it would tie executive compensation to diversity for the first time.

“I also hope that my new role will set an example for other brands within and beyond the DE&I space to encourage work environments where everyone has the freedom to be their true selves,” Sam added. 

Sam, who has worked at Nike since 2018, most recently served as the company’s VP of global DE&I. Before joining the sportswear titan, Sam worked at Snap as head of global diversity and inclusion, and supported talent acquisition at Google.