Nike's young CIO Anthony Watson left the sports company after 10 months in his position. News outlets were shock with the sudden decision of the 38-year-old executive.
Through a company statement, Nike said Watson left the company for personal reasons. Having good terms with Nike, it was believed that he didn't like living in the Portland area for which many considered as a boring reason.
Watson loved working for Nike, but he was unhappy with the lack of social scene in Portland. Watson, however, denied this.
(1of2) Despite what you might read, I’ve never said I hate or dislike #Portland or #Beaverton. Both are wonderful cities with amazing people
— Anthony Watson (@AnthonyWatson) December 12, 2014
He tweeted late Wednesday night, “Today I left Nike for personal reasons. There is honestly nothing ‘mysterious’ about my departure… Nike is a great company, with amazing people. It’s just my personal circumstances changed… My leaving has nothing to do with Nike or any vendor. I wish Nike every success for the future. It’s a wonderful company.”
The news surprised business watchers as the position of Watson as the Nike CIO is one of the dream jobs for many IT professionals. During his 10 months with Nike, Watson is considered to be a role model as he was known to be an openly gay executive and an active board member for GLAAD, a gay advocacy group.
COO of Nike Eric Sprunk explained in a memo to employees the sudden departure of the young executive. “During his time at Nike, Anthony worked on a vision and five-year strategy to reset Technology as a critical platform for Nike’s growth. I’d like to personally thank Anthony for his contributions… While we work to identify Anthony’s replacement, I will step in immediately to lead the Tech organization. I am confident we will continue to deliver high impact results and appreciate your support during this transition," said Sprunk.
Watson came up with a five-year plan to transform Nike's approach in terms of tech. He was also responsible for the big changes that happened in Nike. One of thoses changes is for Nike to stop making the fitness-band hardware and instead focus on the software.
He leaves after he completed the five year road map for the I.T. strategy that is worth almost $27.8 billion-in-sales.
