In an exclusive interview with Front & Female, Lululemon’s chief brand officer shares her journey in sport, from its personal and professional impact to the ways the industry has become more accommodating of women and female athletes to how Lululemon walks the talk of championing women and their potential
“I grew up in the gym,” says Nikki Neuburger, whose parents were both competitive athletes and coaches. Surrounded by female athletes, Neuburger was drawn to active pursuits, particularly volleyball in which she would go on to compete at Oregon State University as team captain.
This was just the start of an interest in sport that would influence Neuburger's career choice as well as how she spends her leisure time. Not only would she take up running—she has completed nine marathons to date—but she has spent the majority of her professional life working in the sports industry, beginning as an intern at Nike, where she worked her way up to, appropriately, global vice president of Nike Running. Sport, and her personal passion for it, she believes, has had a positive impact on her journey.
“I believe sport helped to unlock my potential,” she says. “It built my confidence, instilled the importance of commitment and accountability to myself and others, introduced the importance of working with a group of individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, skill sets and personalities to achieve a common goal, and most importantly, it gave me purpose and brought me joy.”
After 14 years at Nike, Neuburger hung up her running shoes—in a professional sense only—and moved into the world of tech where she worked for Uber Eats as global head of marketing for two years, before the sports industry drew her back, this time to a role at Lululemon. Neuburger was keen “to find new ways to invite, inspire and connect a new community of people to a lifestyle I love and that I believe can have meaningful impact.”
Lululemon felt like a good fit for Neuburger, not only because of the opportunities to expand the brand internationally, launch new product categories and cultivate community at scale, but the company culture was also attractive. “I was inspired by the people who truly stand behind and embody the brand’s purpose. I remember meeting CEO Calvin McDonald and the senior vice president of people and culture, Susan Gelinas, and learning about their experience leading running pace groups for the Lululemon SeaWheeze Half Marathon. The fact that these two senior leaders would not only participate, but would support our guests in achieving their goals at this event blew me away. That’s when I knew Lululemon was the right place for me to be.”
It has been three years and she hasn’t looked back. Here, Neuburger shares some of the benefits of participating in sport when it comes to leadership, how Lululemon champions diversity, equity and inclusion, and who she looks up to as role models.
Do you think sport has contributed to your success as a female leader?
I do. One lesson from my team as an athlete that I apply every day in my current role is the ability to recognise what motivates the people around me. My leadership style is fluid and adapts to the people I’m working with or coaching as a result. My role is to deeply understand people—what they believe, want and need—to communicate and connect with them effectively. Recognising that my team members are unique and respond best to a personalised approach is a belief that I bring to my work to unlock the potential of my team.
