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Lululemon Athletica on Wednesday named former Nike executive and Athleta chief Maggie Gauger president and chief product officer, putting product creation at the center of a leadership overhaul led by new CEO Heidi O’Neill. Gauger’s appointment takes effect October 26, the company said, as it seeks to strengthen its product pipeline and improve coordination across design, merchandising and innovation.
The Vancouver-based apparel company also created a chief operating officer role for Joseph Godsey, most recently chief growth officer at Walmart Canada. The changes come as lululemon confronts softer performance and consumer criticism over product issues. Reuters reported that its shares had nearly halved in value so far this year and that analysts surveyed by LSEG expected net income to fall nearly 40% from fiscal 2024 levels.
Product and operations responsibilities consolidated
Gauger’s newly created role brings design, merchandising, footwear, product innovation and materials science under one executive. Lululemon said the arrangement is intended to strengthen its end-to-end product development process and make it faster to move from product concept to execution. Existing merchandising and design leaders will report to Gauger.
Gauger most recently served as president and CEO of Athleta, Gap’s performance apparel brand. Before that, she spent more than two decades at Nike, where she held leadership posts including vice president and general manager of the North America women’s business, and worked in women’s performance, running and tennis, according to lululemon.
Godsey’s COO remit will encompass sourcing and production, commercialization, go-to-market, fulfillment, planning and allocations, and sustainability. The company said the role is meant to connect product and brand plans with execution across its value chain. Godsey previously led Walmart Canada’s growth organization; earlier positions included chief supply chain officer at Sam’s Club and leadership roles at Adidas.
Departures and searches add to the transition
Lululemon said Nikki Neuburger, its chief brand and product activation officer, and Ted Dagnese, its chief supply chain officer, will leave on November 6 to pursue other opportunities. The company thanked both executives for their contributions and said they would help support the transition. It did not announce successors for their departing roles.
The company is searching for a chief brand officer, chief communications officer and chief technology officer. The brand chief will oversee marketing, creative, store experience and community functions, while the communications leader will report directly to O’Neill. The technology role is slated to cover product and supply-chain technology, digital systems, data and artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
Chief Financial Officer Meghan Frank will temporarily oversee global brand and technology until those searches conclude, while retaining finance and strategy responsibilities. Lululemon is also seeking a chief strategy officer who will report to Frank. President and Chief Commercial Officer André Maestrini, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer Shannon Higginson and Chief People and Culture Officer Susan Gelinas remain in their roles.
Turnaround effort follows slower growth
The leadership moves build on a period of strategic reassessment. In its 2026 proxy statement, lululemon said revenue growth slowed to 10% in fiscal 2024, North American performance weakened and comparable sales edged down. The company said its board began a review in fiscal 2025 and identified areas where strategy and leadership needed to change.
For fiscal 2025, lululemon reported annual revenue of $11.1 billion and operating income of $2.2 billion in that proxy statement. The same document describes a focus on revitalizing product creation, improving the speed and quality of its go-to-market process, strengthening the brand and simplifying operations. The new product and operating roles align with those stated priorities, though their effect on sales and earnings remains to be seen.
O’Neill, who became CEO in September, said the company needed to become stronger and more competitive and that product, design and innovation would be central to that effort. She also described closer links between brand, product and customer experience as a first step toward rebuilding the company’s connection with shoppers. Those goals are management’s stated aims, not results already achieved.
Appointments take effect October 26
Gauger and Godsey are scheduled to start their new roles on October 26. Neuburger and Dagnese are scheduled to depart November 6, with searches for three senior roles still underway. Lululemon has not given a timetable for filling those positions or provided new financial targets alongside the organizational changes.
Reuters described investors as watching O’Neill’s turnaround plan as the company competes with newer rivals and responds to changing preferences beyond its signature leggings. The company’s announcement frames the restructure around product quality, brand connection and operational execution; whether the new reporting structure can deliver those improvements will become clearer as the appointments take effect and the company reports subsequent results.
