Jonathan Ritchie — Global Brand Marketing Leader

The Approach

How I work.

Four principles I lead by — each one earned on the work, not the whiteboard.

Invent the model — don't just run the play.

The best brand work doesn't repeat last season louder; it builds a new way to operate. I've pioneered models others now treat as standard — a connected, always-on cadence of brand moments instead of one hero ad, and the fusion of brand storytelling with commerce.

Develop people. Lead by influence.

Brand wins inside a complex, matrixed organisation through influence, not authority. I develop people and build teams from the ground up, leading cross-functionally to keep the brand's voice heard, valued, and protected across Design, Product, and Commerce.

Anchor to the consumer, not the latest trend cycle.

A brand stays relevant only when it's clear on exactly who it's for and what it stands for — its north star. The hard part is holding that line as the brand grows and the pull toward every new audience, category, and opportunity intensifies. I keep the north star fixed and hold the organisation to it, so focus compounds rather than dilutes.

Premium is a choice you defend.

The easy answer in any commercial moment is a louder "40%-off" graphic. I lead the other way — holding the brand's creative standard even inside discount-driven windows, leading with sport, athletes, and craft rather than markdown.

Selected Moments

The work behind the principles.

Paris 2024

Winning Isn't For Everyone

Brand lead for the Olympic campaign celebrating the sporting industry's largest athlete roster — and architect of the governance framework that made Nike the only non-affiliate sponsor publishing on owned commercial channels during the Games.

2022 · Model + Team

Men's World Cup

Developed Nike's connected, always-on moment model and its first real-time reactive capability — the template the brand still runs on — and built and led the large cross-functional team it took to run live.

2023 · Scale

Women's World Cup

Drove Nike's largest-ever investment in the marketing of women's sport, setting a new internal benchmark for female-athlete storytelling.

Multi-year · Innovation

Nike App Reset

The brand voice on the cross-functional team reinventing Nike's owned channels — fusing brand storytelling and commerce in a way the industry hadn't seen.

Rebrand · Scale

Nike Membership

Rebranded Nike+ into Nike Membership and grew active members 250% to a 350M-strong base — turning loyalty into the brand's largest owned audience and knowing the consumer at scale.

Creator-led · Pioneering

The Opening

Reimagined Nike's elite grassroots football showcase into a creator-led platform — pioneering a new marketing muscle for the brand to drive connectivity and relevance with the next generation.

The Through-Line

Read it. See it. Build it. Move the org.

How I work, in one line: I read where we are, see where the brand needs to go, build the plan to get there — and bring the organisation with me. One arc, start to finish:

2022 — Invent

The real-time model

At the Men's World Cup, I replaced the single hero ad with a connected heartbeat of brand moments across the whole tournament — and built Nike's first ability to react to live moments in real time.

The template

It became the standard

That operating model set the foundation for how the brand brings these moments to life today — a way of working the organisation hadn't used before.

2025 — Scale

An always-on offence

At North America, I turned that global, moment-by-moment model into an always-on offence — a constant drumbeat across multiple sports rather than a handful of tentpole events — turning live in-game action into product within hours. A 25% lift in sell-through across the NFL playoffs.

Behind the Work

Where it actually happens.

**2014** · Football Insights Session · London

**2014** · Magista Product Launch · Arsenal

**2014** · Magista Product Launch · Barcelona

**2014** · Men's World Cup — Nike Ordem Ball · London

**2014** · MWC Phenomenal House · New York

**2015** · Digital Court Footwear Trialling · New York

**2015** · Nike Metcon Product Launch · Santa Monica

**2016** · Basketball Content Capture · New York

**2016** · Olympics — Store Athlete Training · Rio de Janeiro

**2016** · Olympics Athlete House · Rio de Janeiro

**2018** · GC EKIN Team Summit · Beijing

**2018** · Pegasus Turbo Product Trialling · Shanghai

**2019** · Nike Live Concept Store Launch · Melrose

**2019** · Member-Gated Store Services · NYC

**2023** · Women's World Cup Commercial Shoot · London

**2023** · Women's World Cup Product Shoot · Barcelona

**2023** · Women's World Cup Social Reactive · Barcelona

**2023** · Women's World Cup — Commercial Shoot · Barcelona

**2023** · WWC — Athlete NTC Workout · Sydney

**2024** · Olympics — Winning Isn't For Everyone · Los Angeles

**2025** · Nike App Relaunch War Room · Beaverton

**2026** · College Football National Championship · Miami

About

16+ years building and scaling performance-sport brands at Nike — global brand strategy and leadership by influence, from London 2012 to Paris 2024 and the biggest moments in between.

I own brand positioning, narrative, and multi-year strategy at global scale, and I lead by influence across complex, matrixed organisations — keeping the brand's voice heard, valued, and protected across Design, Product, and Commerce.

It isn't only professional. I'm a former Track & Field international for Ireland, an MSc in Exercise Physiology, and I spend my time running, skiing, and in the mountains — the world of sport and the outdoors is genuinely my own.

Brand Strategy & Positioning Consumer-Led Innovation Premium Brand Building Leadership by Influence Global GTM Creator & Athlete Partnerships

Brand building @ the pace of sport.