Nike has named former Foot Locker supply chain head Kristin Bauer as the new chief operations officer at Converse as part of its ongoing push to turnaround the struggling brand.
The sportswear giant confirmed in an internal memo reported by Bloomberg on Saturday that Bauer would join its subsidiary on September 14. She will report to the Nike COO, Venky Alagirisamy.
Bauer previously spent three years at Foot Locker and held other supply chain roles at The TJX Companies and Ulta.
The task of steering Converse back on course for Bauer and her new team will be substantial as the brand persists through one of the roughest points in its 118-year history. Converse has seen 13 straight quarterly declines with a 31 percent drop in revenue in its most recent fiscal calendar, which also aligns with its parent Nike.
For the fiscal year 2026, Converse posted $1.174 billion in revenue, a slide of just over 50 percent from the same period in 2023 when the brand reported $2.43 billion. The following year, revenue slipped to $2.2 for 2024 and $1.7 billion in 2025.
In April, after releasing its third quarter earnings report, Nike CEO Elliot Hill dismissed speculation that Converse was up for sale in a sign that his team was committed to the long-term effort needed to revamp the brand’s fortunes.
“Converse is a beloved brand that serves a distinct consumer through their connection to creative culture, music and youth,” Hill said at the time. “Converse will remain an important part of the Nike, Inc. family, and we are excited about its long-term prospects.”
Both Nike and Converse have felt similar strain to revive flagging sales, with the rapid downturn at Converse fueling rumors that it could be offloaded. In April, brand management firm Authentic Brands expressed interest in purchasing Converse if it were put up for sale. It is not believed that talks for moving Converse from the Nike portfolio advanced beyond public interest from Authentic Brands.
But the idea of a legacy brand like Converse being put up for sale would easily immediately draw the interest of several suitors, including Nike’s own direct rivals.
Nike acquired Converse in 2003 for $305 million and quickly began an overhaul that included a product revamp, integrated some of its modern performance materials into existing models and retained the brand’s identity by keeping the iconic Chuck Taylor shoe true to its roots.
Behind the scenes, Nike used its global presence and deep supply chain network to get Converse into international markets alongside its own products.
