Karen Parkin, executive board member of Adidas AG responsible for global human resources, has informed Adidas AG’s Supervisory Board that she will step down from the Executive Board and leave the company. The move comes as Adidas has faced criticism from employees who say it fosters a racist and discriminatory workplace.
According to a statement from Adidas, the Supervisory Board, in mutual agreement with Parkin, approved the termination of her appointment as an Executive Board member effective June 30, 2020. Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted will assume responsibility for global human resources on an interim basis until a successor is appointed.
Her resignation follows a protest by 83 Adidas staff who had called for an investigation into her handling of racism, diversity and inclusion. Parkin reportedly last year used the term “noise” at a meeting for employees at the headquarters of Adidas brand Reebok, when referring to the issue of racism. The exit also follows protests over racial injustice following the death of George Floyd. On June 11, Adidas raised its investment in black communities to $120 million from $20 million after criticism.
Parkin first joined Adidas in 1997 as sales director Adidas UK. Since that time, she has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility at the company across customer service, business development, supply chain and human resources, culminating in leading global human resources over the past five and a half years. She was appointed to the Executive Board in 2017.
Igor Landau, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Adidas AG, said: “On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I would like to thank Karen for the many contributions that she has made over the course of her career with us. She has served Adidas with leadership and dedication for more than 23 years and always acted in the best interests of our company and our people. Her decision to leave the company reflects that commitment and her belief that a new HR leader will best drive forward the pace of change that Adidas needs at this time. Therefore, it is with respect for her decision that we accept her resignation.”
Rorsted added: “Karen has played a key role in the success and growth of Adidas over the past few years. She elevated and centralized Human Resources into a world-class function, developed and led our People Strategy and launched many successful employee programs. She has played a significant part in our focus over the past few weeks as to how we move forward as a company to fight racial inequality and build a more diverse Adidas. She and the HR organization also were instrumental in securing the health and safety of our 60,000 Adidas employees throughout the coronavirus pandemic. I would like to thank Karen for everything she has done for the company. Going forward, I remain focused on working with my Executive Board colleagues and our leadership team to continue our momentum in Human Resources and to build a more diverse and inclusive Adidas.”
Parkin commented: “I have been very privileged to work for such a great company with so many talented and inspiring colleagues and I am very proud of what we have accomplished together. I am deeply committed to our goals of creating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable company. While we have made progress in many areas, there is much more work to be done. However, it has become clear to me that to unify the organization it would be better for me to retire and pave the way for change. Now is the right time for a new HR leader to take over the function, to seize the opportunity before us and drive forward the pace of change to create a more diverse and inclusive Adidas that we can all be proud of.”
Photo courtesy Adidas
