Nike has elevated a longtime executive to the role of chief innovation officer.
Andy Caine, who has spent more than 20 years at the company, will succeed Tony Bignell in that role effective Sunday. Bignell, who spent 30 years at Nike, is leaving the company “to pursue his creative and philanthropic passions in his next chapter,” according to an internal memo from Phil McCartney, executive vice president, chief innovation, design and product officer for Nike, which was obtained by WWD.
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Caine will report to McCartney.
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In the memo, McCartney said Caine “has been a driving force behind some of our most defining work at the intersection of performance innovation and sport culture — from groundbreaking Mercurial launches that set the standard for performance and creativity on the pitch to introducing new expressions of Air with the launch of Air VaporMax, Air Liquid Max and Air Max 1000.” Most recently, he said, Caine helped bolster the company’s sportswear business by blending performance innovation and lifestyle energy.
“Andy brings a rare mix of athlete obsession, creative ambition and product conviction,” McCartney added. “He is known for his curiosity, his high standards and his ability to develop strong talent around him. He pushes for better, and he brings others with him.” As a result, he believes Caine is “the right person to lead this next chapter of Nike innovation.”
In his new role, Caine will oversee innovation across all brands, sports, products and platforms and will work closely with the design and product teams.
McCartney credited Bignell with helping to shape some of Nike’s most important innovation breakthroughs over the course of his career including the Nike Shox and the Next% VaporMax, React and Joyride. He also played an important part in the Breaking2 initiative and his impact “will last beyond his time in the role.”
Bignell was promoted to chief innovation officer last June. He was formerly vice president for running footwear.
Caine’s appointment is one of a number of recent executive changes at Nike following Elliott Hill‘s appointment as CEO in October of 2024. That includes McCartney’s promotion to his current position following the retirement of Heidi O’Neill, president of consumer, product and brand.
The executive moves are part of Hill’s effort to “accelerate” Nike’s progress against its “Win Now” action plan. However, the company, which has been criticized for its lack of innovation in recent years, is still under pressure. Over the last five years shares of Nike Inc. are down 68 percent from a high of $167.31 in November 2021 and last week the company reported net income in the third quarter of fiscal 2026 fell 35 percent to $520 million from $794 million in the year-ago period. Net sales were $11.3 billion, flat from the prior year.
At the time the earnings were released, Hill made no secret of his frustration, telling his staff he was “tired” of talking about fixing the business and stressed the “urgency, transparency, focus and a determination to restore growth.”