Mark Parker (born Gregorian calendar month twenty-one, 1955) could be a man of affairs. He is President, President, and business executive of the Greek deity, Inc. He was named the company’s third business executive in 2006.

“It’s time for the media to find Mark Parker,” says Phil Knight. “It’s like, wherever have you ever been? it has been a sensation of 9 years.”

Then begins associate degree interview with the legendary co-founder of Greek deity (NKE), the previous 77-year-old controller UN agency commissioned the ever-present “swoosh” brand for $ thirty-five so engineered a world shoe empire around him. Knight continues to be president of the Greek deity, however, he does not speak abundant with the media any longer. For the remainder, he presently does nothing he will not opt for. Hell, he did not even hassle to seem at Nike’s period of time meeting with investors, a mid-October celebration of his company’s achievements. At that meeting, Knight’s successor, the insufficiently control Parker, created a daring statement, notably for such a discreet CEO: he secured to extend Nike’s revenue by $ twenty billion, to $ fifty billion, by 2020.

However, once it involves talking regarding Parker, Knight is over willing to speak. Since taking the workplace in 2006 from the intruder Knight recruited for the primary time for the work, Parker has overseen the duplication of Nike’s sales. For external appearances, Knight and Parker square measure a study of contrasts. Knight is associate degree master’s degree associate degreed remains an irascible presence on the company field of Greek deity Beaverton, Oregon. Parker could be a soft-voice shoe designer, famed for a thoughtful however hard to please management vogue. However, the 2 square measure a lot of similar than not. “We square measure each self-examining,” says Knight, UN agency receives curt answers, no matter the question. once asked to elucidate the achievements of this chief operating officer, he notes that Parker was altogether|one amongst|one in every of} Nike’s 1st recruits (he joined a style outpost in New Hampshire in 1979) and has succeeded in all the tasks allotted to him since then. “He was one amongst the primary guys we tend to recruited outside of school,” Knight recollects. “So we’ve been looking at it for nearly forty years.” Knight, recently the same he can resign from the position of President in Parker next year. Knight, UN agency still controls 2 hundredths of the Greek deity, is thus in tune with Parker that generally they pay a month while not speaking. “Usually, I do know what you are thinking and the other way around,” he says. Knight at first acknowledges having had difficulties material possession go, and his known management bark endures, even with Parker.

According to all reports, Parker’s responses are over satisfactory. In fact, the previous 60-year-old university runner has skillfully carried the founder’s baton. Of course, the corporate that Parker hereditary was now not the helplessness of worldwide titans like Adidas. Parker has moon-faced the tough task of finding growth in an exceedingly victorious mature company.

It is honest to mention that Parker has outperformed the competition. Today, Greek deity is that the world leader in multiple classes of sports shoes, particularly running, basketball and association football. Your participation in the U.S. sports shoe market. UU. It is 62%, per reports earlier this year. No. two Skechers (SKX) has solely five-hitter. Behind the scenes, Greek deity is associate degree operative machine famed for crisp inventory management and crafty deals with retailers. the corporate is legendary for its ability to sell, however progressively Greek deity stands call at its commitment to technology, whether or not in style, producing, promoting and, as we are going to see, shortly in retail. Nike conjointly grows surprisingly quick for an organization of its size. it’s been generating a gradual annual sales growth of eight.5%, and its revenue target of $ fifty billion implies that it will increase it up to 100%, all whereas defensive below Armor (UA) and Lululemon (LULU), UN agency has assumed the previous Greek deity contestant mantle. Greek deity conjointly prints profits: over $ three billion in business enterprise 2015, nearly St Martin’s Day of sales.

Parker could be a strange issue in an exceeding world of nice CEOs that build headlines. Introverts, after all, don’t seem to be the norm within the government suite. however folks like Apple’s Parker and Tim Cook (AAPL) square measure proving that the reserved rates will meet. Parker’s meticulous approach to development, referred to as “design thinking,” is trendy, due to the acclaim of Apple product below its known designer Jony I’ve. Parker remains committed to his original trade: still noodles in 2 lines of restricted trainers with the known Greek deity designer Tinker Hatfield, one amongst them with the Greek deity interpreter icon Michael Jordan and therefore the alternative with the Japanese vogue designer Hiroshi Fujiwara.Nike’s performance, as associate degree older champion UN agency continues to drive the competition, has junction rectifier Fortune to call Parker as its 2015 businessperson of the Year. Since management students square measure invariably searching for role models, it’s conjointly a decent excuse for Investigate what makes Parker tick. After all, he’s the rare successor of a known founder UN agency has taken his company to new heights. It’s time, as Phil Knight discovered, to find however Mark Parker will it.
10 facts which will surprise you regarding Greek deity chief operating officer Mark Parker: –

Parker is acknowledged within the inventive community and his friends reportedly embrace Eric Clapton.
His workplace is choked with works of art associate degreed collectibles that vary from Greek deity shoes to a Jimi Hendrix stringed instrument and a Phoebus mission manual.
He usually visits the art galleries of the Pearl District.
In “Swoosh,” associate degree unauthorized chronicle of Greek deity printed in 1991, former Greek deity government Rob Strasser same Parker “had the potential to run the corporate at some point.” He was appointed chief operating officer fifteen years later in 2006.
His wife, Kathy Mills Parker, UN agency could be a volunteer within the community, once control the planet record at 5000 meters.