Tanya Hvizdak is a Nike lifer in her 25th year with the company, but it hasn’t felt that long because she’s been able to identify her core tenet and pair it with her passion.
For the vice president and general manager of Global Running and former college basketball player, sports has always been a passion. And today what motivates her is a drive for equity and equality in an industry that hasn’t always delivered it for women and people of color.
“Now we have the ability to pull even more women into the business, and you’re seeing more women rise within the ranks,” Hvizdak said. “So it’s even more important, from a support perspective, to have that peership for all of us. It helps lead all of us to success.”
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That very idea of success has changed for Hvizdak over the past five years. Rather than looking to the next move, she’s now focused more on the present and how to make sure everyone around her knows how to succeed in their own roles.
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Shared success will involve keeping the hot streak going for Nike Running, which is on an eight-quarter run of growth and has been repeatedly cited by chief executive officer Elliott Hill as the model to follow for Nike’s overall turnaround efforts.
Hvizdak stepped into her current role last summer, and the three quarters since have all had growth of at least 20 percent in running. She said she came into a great foundation, and part of the plan to build on it will include accelerating innovation in the lead-up to the next Olympic cycle.
In the more immediate future, many runners will be anticipating innovation through the Alphafly 4 super shoe, which Nike has begun teasing and a prototype of which was worn by runners at the London Marathon.
In London, Adidas ended up having the record-breaking shoe, and Hvizdak was gracious in calling the race an unbelievable moment for the sport while teasing, “The world we’re going to be creating around [the Alphafly 4] is going to be pretty special.”
A version of this article appeared in the June 1 print issue of FN, as part of the “Women Who Rock” special section. On June 3, FN and Two Ten Footwear Foundation will honor these women at the annual live event in New York City.