Lululemon hires former Nike CSO to lead sustainability

Sportswear retailer lululemon has appointed former Nike CSO Noel Kinder as Senior Vice President of Sustainability as it pledges to further advance its impact agenda goals.

Kinder joined lululemon last week and is responsible for defining and implementing the delivery of its global internal and external sustainability and environmental strategies, including an effective and efficient governance process. He reports to Ted Dagnese, Chief Supply Chain Officer. 

Dagnese said Kinder brings deep global experience in building and scaling sustainability strategies and goals that drive impact and results. “Noel’s leadership, global perspective, and proven track record will be instrumental as we continue to advance our impact work to create a more circular and sustainable future.”

Kinder left Nike in February 2024 

Kinder joins lululemon from Nike, where he spent nearly 25 years including the last five years as Chief Sustainability Officer. In this role, he was a driving force behind Nike’s global sustainability strategy, including the development of enterprise-wide sustainability commitments and science-based targets. 

Throughout his tenure at Nike, Kinder held a number of roles of increasing responsibility across the full value chain, including positions in sourcing and manufacturing, operations, finance, and strategic planning.

He left Nike in February 2024, just a few months before the company announced swingeing cuts to its sustainability team; Nike reportedly lost 30% of employees who worked primarily on sustainability within the company, due to layoffs, voluntary departures or role transfers. 

'A leader in innovation'

Kinder said he was excited to join lululemon at an important time in its sustainability journey. “lululemon is a leader in innovation and deeply committed to advancing its sustainability and climate goals. I look forward to partnering with the talented teams across the company to continue this critical work and create meaningful, lasting change.” 

Kinder is an advisory board member of sustainability platform Greenplaces and a member of the Sustainability Advisory Board at Collaborative Fund.  He has also previously served as a member of the New York Stock Exchange Sustainability Advisory Council, and the Global Fashion Summit Steering Committee. 

Kinder replaces Esther Speck, who served as Senior Vice President of Sustainable Business and Impact at lululemon for almost ten years.