Mark Parker

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For the New Zealand cricketer, see Mark Parker (cricketer).
Mark Parker
Parker in 2008
Born (1955-10-21) October 21, 1955 (age 69)
Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S.
Alma materPenn State University
TitleExecutive chairman of Nike, Inc.
Chairman of The Walt Disney Company
SuccessorJohn Donahoe
SpouseKathy Parker
Children3

Mark Parker (born October 21, 1955) is an American businessman. He is the executive chairman of Nike, Inc. He was named the third CEO of the company in 2006 and was president and CEO until 13 January 2020.[1][2] Since April 3, 2023, he has been chairman of The Walt Disney Company.[3]

Early life and education

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Parker was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the son of Meg and Bruce Parker. He graduated from Westhill High School in Stamford, Connecticut[4] and later earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science at Penn State University in 1977.[5] He ran on the Penn State track and cross country teams.[6]

Career

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Parker joined Nike in 1979 as a footwear designer based in its R&D facility in Exeter, New Hampshire. He became Division Vice President in charge of development in 1987, Corporate Vice President in 1989, General Manager in 1993, and Vice President of Global Footwear in 1998.[1] Prior to becoming vice president of Nike, he was co-president (with Charlie Denson) of the Nike brand beginning in March 2001.[1] He still participates in shoe design, most notably on the Nike HTM project, creating limited edition footwear alongside Nike designer Tinker Hatfield and creative consultant Hiroshi Fujiwara.[7][8] He has committed to ensuring that Nike remain environmentally conscious. After 10 years of work, Parker and his team launched the first "Green Shoe" that adheres to the principles of sustainability.[9]

While CEO of Nike in 2012, Parker earned a total compensation of $15,425,608, which included a base salary of $1,609,615, a cash bonus of $594,190, stocks granted of $3,500,087, options granted of $4,199,250, and non-equity incentive plan compensation listed at $5,522,466. After being promoted to Chairman in 2016, Parker's compensation tripled to over $47.6 million - $33.5 million of which came from stock rewards.[10]

In 2015, Parker was named Fortune's Businessperson of the year.[11] It was announced in June 2015 that Mark Parker is replacing Phil Knight as company chairman of Nike in 2016.[12]

In 2016, he ranked 14th in the New York Times' list of highest paid CEOs[13] with an annual paycheck of 47.6 million.[14] Parker was elected onto Walt Disney's board of directors early 2016.[15] For the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Parker collaborated with Christopher Marley to create an iridescent shoe.[16]

In 2017, Parker took a 71% pay cut due to a year of poor sales at Nike and the layoff of 1,000 employees.[17] Subsequently, his earnings were $13.9 million from stock and options.[18]

In 2019, Parker was criticized by certain right wing media commentators for his embrace of Nike endorser Colin Kaepernick.[19] Additionally, Parker was criticized for discontinuing a special edition of their Air Max 1 Quick Strike "Betsy Ross flag"-themed sneakers.[20]

In October 2019, Parker announced he would step down as Nike's CEO and become executive chairman of the company effective January 13, 2020.[21] In January 2023, he was named chairman of the Walt Disney Company, succeeding Susan Arnold.[22]

Personal life

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Parker is married to Kathy Mills, a former world record holding track and field athlete whom he met at Penn State.[23] They have three grown children.[24]

Art collection

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Parker is an avid arts supporter with an extensive ongoing collection of modern, low brow and underground contemporary art, along with many other one-of-a-kind collectibles, including a cursed monkey.[citation needed] Notable artists from Parker's collection include Andy Warhol, Adonna Khare, Mark Ryden, Todd Schorr, Tim Biskup, Eric White, Sebastian Kruger, Charles Krafft, Glennray Tutor, Robert Crumb, Chris Mars, Sarina Brewer,[25] and Michael Leavitt.[citation needed] Parker keeps a pair of bat-boots Nike designed for Michael Keaton to wear in the 1989 Batman movie.[26] Other notable items include rare movie ephemera such as original props such as Star Wars C-3PO and models from Mars Attacks! (1996), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Back to the Future (1985).[27]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Nike website biography
  2. ^ Novy-Williams, Eben (22 October 2019). "Nike Dips as It Doubles Down on Tech With Pick of Ex-EBay CEO". Bloomberg News.
  3. ^ Galley, Jackie (January 11, 2023). "Disney Appoints Mark Parker As Chairman of the Board, Replacing Susan Arnold". www.wdwinfo.com. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  4. ^ "Westhill's Football Team In Stamford Looks Good, Thanks To Alum At Nike". 25 September 2015.
  5. ^ McGirt, Ellen (9 September 2010). "How Nike's CEO Shook Up the Shoe Industry". Fast Company. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  6. ^ Jones, Riley (17 March 2016). "Nike CEO Mark Parker Was Designing Sneakers When He Was in College". Complex. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  7. ^ Bustillo, Migel (May 11, 2010). "Nike Looks Beyond Its 'Swoosh' for Growth". Wall Street Journal. p. B1.
  8. ^ "Nike: The Spirit Machine". 032c. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  9. ^ CNN Feature on Nike's "Green Shoe"
  10. ^ Stynes, Tess (25 July 2016). "Nike CEO Total Pay Soars". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
  11. ^ "Mark Parker". Fortune. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  12. ^ "Phil Knight takes steps away from Nike; will leave as board chairman". OregonLive.com. July 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  13. ^ Huang, Jon; Russell, Karl (2017-05-26). "The Highest-Paid C.E.O.s in 2016". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  14. ^ Barrabi, Thomas (2017-07-26). "Nike CEO Mark Parker takes 70 percent pay cut in 2017". Fox Business. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  15. ^ Nike CEO Mark Parker joins Disney board of directors, Portland Business Journal, 2016-01-11.
  16. ^ Scott, Aaron (2015-12-11). "Oregon Artist Finds Beauty In Dead Insects (And Snakes And Birds)". OPB. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  17. ^ Umoh, Ruth (2017-07-27). "Nike's CEO just took a 71 percent pay cut. Here are 5 other execs who've had their incomes slashed". CNBC. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  18. ^ Garcia, Ahiza. "Nike CEO takes a pay cut after rough year". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  19. ^ Cortes, Steve. "Nike- The Left Salutes Tribalism". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  20. ^ Axelrod, Tal. "Nike's Kaepernick Embrace Makes Matters Worse: CEO Daily". Fortune. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  21. ^ Creswell, Julie (22 October 2019). "Nike's Chief Executive, Mark Parker, Is Stepping Down". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  22. ^ Maas, Jennifer (11 January 2023). "Mark Parker Named Disney Chairman, Succeeding Susan Arnold; Board Opposes Nelson Peltz's Attempt to Join". Variety. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  23. ^ Birchall, Jonathan (18 March 2007). "Man who made a career out of cool". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  24. ^ Greenfeld, Karl (4 November 2015). "How Mark Parker Keeps Nike in the Lead". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  25. ^ Rivera, Erica (8 April 2016). "Crave Profile: Sarina Brewer and Rogue Taxidermy". CraveOnline. CraveOnlineLLC. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  26. ^ "How Nike's CEO Shook up the Shoe Industry". September 2010.
  27. ^ O'Shea, Jamie (September 2004). "Inside Mark Parker's Alternate Universe". Juxtapoz Magazine. p. 44.
Business positions
Preceded by Disney chairman
2023-present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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