John Hoke, a longtime top design executive at Nike Inc., is retiring after over three decades of shaping new products at the world’s largest sportswear company.

Hoke is stepping down as Nike’s chief innovation officer, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. In that role, he had been charged with speeding up the pace of product development.

According to the memo, he’ll stay on board through October to finish some projects, and Nike plans to name a successor for the position soon.

A representative for Nike confirmed Hoke’s departure. Hoke didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The top ranks of Nike’s management have shuffled significantly in recent months under chief executive officer Elliott Hill, who came out of retirement last year to try to turn around a sales slump. This month, Footwear executive Phil McCartney was named Nike’s new executive vice president and chief innovation, design and product officer.

Hoke, an architect, started at Nike in 1992, working on stores and fixtures before becoming involved in footwear. He went on to become Nike’s chief design officer for 15 years, overseeing more than 1,000 employees globally, before being put in charge of innovation in 2023. Nike’s executive chairman and former CEO Mark Parker worked closely with Hoke over the years to develop new prototypes and products.

Hill told employees in the memo that Hoke had a meaningful effect on Nike’s growth throughout his tenure, and that his design influence will be seen at Nike for years to come. He credited Hoke with designing the first Niketown New York and the Serena Williams Building at company headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.

In an interview with Bloomberg News last year, Hoke said that his teams had a “very aggressive agenda” developing a suite of underfoot cushioning technology, including new ways to use Nike’s proprietary Air system.

News Credits- FASHION NETWORK