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Lululemon Announces Organizational Changes in Conjunction With CPO Sun Choe’s Resignation
May 22, 2024
On Tuesday, the Canadian athletic brand Lululemon confirmed that the company’s chief product officer, Sun Choe, has resigned to take on another opportunity and will leave by the end of this month. The company said it has no plans to replace the role after her departure.
Additionally, the activewear brand announced a string of “updated and more integrated” organizational changes.
According to Lululemon, Jonathan Cheung, the global creative director, will now lead product design and innovation while continuing to oversee design, innovation, and product development, reporting directly to CEO Calvin McDonald.
The company is forming a fresh team, consisting of leaders from its merchandising and brand divisions. The aim of this strategy is to focus efforts on scaling globally and regionally. Nikki Neuburger, who leads the brand division at present, will transition to chief brand and product activation officer. In her expanded role, she will oversee merchandising, footwear, and product operations alongside her existing responsibilities. Lululemon said that Elizabeth Binder, the chief merchandising officer, will report directly to Neuburger.
McDonald said, “We are grateful for Sun’s many contributions to the company over the past seven years, and she leaves us as a stronger, product-led organization with dynamic leaders ready to take us forward.”
He added, “Looking ahead, I am confident in the strength of our design, merchandising, and brand teams, and excited by how the new structure will enable us to solve for the unmet needs of our guests in a more efficient, unique, and powerful way.”
During her time at Lululemon, Choe played a key role in the company’s growth into footwear. At the 2022 FN Achievement Awards, Choe and Neuburger were awarded the Launch of the Year accolade for Lululemon’s inaugural women’s shoe. In their acceptance speech, they both highlighted the collaborative effort behind the four-year journey to introduce footwear, emphasizing that the entire process was driven by women. “We not only design shoes for her,” Choe stated in the speech. “We design shoes with her.”
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