Lululemon taps veteran Nike exec as CEO
Lululemon’s search for a CEO has come to a close.
The activewear retailer has named 27-year Nike Inc. veteran Heidi O’Neill as its next CEO. O’Neill will start as CEO and join the Lululemon board effective Sep. 8, 2026, and be based at the company's headquarters in Vancouver.
Lululemon had been searching for a new CEO since former CEO Calvin McDonald stepped down in January 2026 amid a sales slowdown and increased competition in its home market. Founder Chip Wilson, who is also one of Lululemon’s largest shareholders, has been very vocal in his criticism of the company’s performance and has been waging a proxy fight to remake the board with three candidates.
[READ MORE: Lululemon founder launches website in ongoing battle for change]
In more recent developments, Bloomberg reported that Wilson is starting an athletic-brand venture that will include new brands and existing small ones. He has hired an operating partner to be part of the new business, which is based in Vancouver, the report said.
O'Neil
O’Neill, who left Nike last year, brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear, and sport. During a 25-plus-year career at Nike Inc., she helped grow the company from $9-plus billion to more than $45 billion in annual revenues. She played a central role in overseeing the company’s product pipeline, brand voice, and operations.
O'Neil served most recently as president of consumer, product & brand, where she oversaw the global consumer and product engine. In this role, she also reduced product development timelines to accelerate speed to market and prioritized renewed momentum in global football and running.
Earlier in her career, O’Neill worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss & Co.
“Heidi is an inspiring leader and proven, consumer-driven brand strategist, with a rare ability to both imagine a new future for a brand and to create the structure and processes to deliver on that vision,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board of directors. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent.”
Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue to lead as interim co-CEOs until O’Neill joins the company. At that time, Frank and Maestrini plan to return to their previous senior leadership roles as CFO and president and chief commercial officer, respectively, while continuing to work closely with O’Neill.
“Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” said O’Neill. “As I step into the CEO role in September, my job will be to build on that foundation – to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world. I look forward to joining the company and helping to define and deliver the organization’s next chapter of success.”
