Tchernavia Rocker, currently chief people and administrative officer of Under Armour, Inc. and a named executive officer in the company’s most recent proxy statement, reportedly informed the company on April 11 that she is leaving effective June 1, citing personal reasons.
The announcement came via Under Armour’s SEC 8-K filing on April 16, 2024.
Rocker joined UA in February 2019 as chief people and culture officer and transitioned to chief people and administrative officer in June 2020. She joined the company from Harley-Davidson, Inc., where she worked for over 18 years in HR leadership roles, leaving the company as VP chief human resources officer. Before that, she worked in various HR and operations roles at Goodyear Dunlop North America Tire, Inc.
“We thank Tchernavia for her many contributions to Under Armour throughout the past five years. She has been an incredible leader for this brand and thought partner across our executive leadership,” offered Under Armour President and CEO Kevin Plank. “Always with a focus on the heart of our business, Tchernavia has played a pivotal role in building, while fostering a culture of inclusion, diversity and teammate development—efforts that contributed to Under Armour being recognized as one of the most trustworthy companies in America. Tchernavia will be missed, and we wish her all of our best.”
The timing of Rocker’s resignation cannot be seen as anything but problematic for the company and the Under Armour brand. Her
departure is the second female senior executive to exit the company in the last two months.
Rocker’s resignation, and the resignation of former CEO Stephanie Linnartz in March (with Founder Kevin Plank assuming her role), marks a reversal in Under Armour’s efforts to diversify its senior ranks from a gender and race perspective.
Rocker joined Under Armour shortly after the Wall Street Journal, in early November 2018, reported on years of sexual misconduct at the company. A critical piece that garnered the most attention was the past practice of enabling executives and employees to expense out visits with athletes or co-workers to strip clubs following corporate and sporting events. In February 2018, UA sent a company-wide e-mail banning the outings and gambling.
The WSJ’s investigation also found that “some top male executives violated company policy by behaving inappropriately with female subordinates.” Women were sometimes “invited to an annual company event based on their attractiveness to appeal to male guests” — a method referred to as “stocking the pond,” according to the Journal’s report. Those revelations led to the forced departure of at least two senior executives in late 2018.
The report was not unique to Under Armour. Accusations of similarly bad behavior were also made against senior executives at Nike, Inc. at the start of the #MeToo movement, resulting in the shake-down of the company’s inner circle at the top of the company and the recruiting and promotion of more females to key leadership roles. The report subsequently caused the heir apparent to the Nike Brand president’s role to depart.
Images courtesy Under Armour, Inc.
***
See below for additional SGB Media coverage on the changes at Under Armour.
Under Armour Shakes Up C-Suite as Plank Assumes CEO Role, Gives Up Board Chair
Under Armour Names Tchernavia Rocker Chief People And Culture Officer
