Gap, Inc. has appointed Maggie Gauger, most recently head of Nike’s North America women’s business, as global brand president and CEO of Athleta, effective August 1. Chris Blakeslee, who joined Athleta as CEO in July 2023 from sister companies Alo Yoga and Bella+Canvas, is stepping down from the role.
“As we continue to reinvigorate our house of iconic American brands to not only shape culture but drive profitable, sustainable growth over the long term, we believe in Athleta’s incredible potential in the women’s active market and within our portfolio,” said Gap, Inc. CEO Richard Dickson. “Over the past two years, Chris has led the early stages of Athleta’s reset, recentering the brand to win with innovative performance product and refining the brand’s point of view, helping to position Athleta for the future.”
Dickson continued, “We are thrilled for Maggie Gauger to join as CEO of Athleta as we look to accelerate the brand’s reinvigoration. Maggie blends proven business transformation capabilities, deep consumer centricity, product fluency, and a heartfelt commitment to empowering women and girls. This combination of skills and experiences will equip her to lead Athleta into its next chapter of growth—rooted in purpose, performance, and people.”
Gauger was with Nike for 23 years, including as VP and GM of the brand’s North America women’s business since July 2023. Other roles have included global vice president of Direct Acceleration, global vice president of Marketplace, Nike partner go-to-market, VP and GM of North America running, and VP & GM of Nike’s global tennis division.
Gap, Inc. called out Gauger’s extensive background across retail, strategy, merchandising, product creation, commerce, digital, and general management.
“I’m energized to bring my experience working at the intersection of sport, style and culture to Athleta – a brand with strong purpose and still so much untapped potential,” said Gauger. “Athleta has an unwavering mission focused on the power of women, not just as athletes, but as leaders, creators, and change-makers. And I can’t wait to work with the incredible Athleta team to grow, to lead, and to inspire the next generation through the power of product and community.”
As Gauger transitions into her role, Blakeslee is expected to remain with the company as an advisor to support a smooth transition.
Athleta’s comps declined 8 percent in the first quarter. On its first-quarter analyst call, Dickson said Athleta in the quarter “continued to work through the over rotation we discussed last quarter towards new, more trend-forward customers. While we were successful in bringing new customers in the quarter, we still did not have enough compelling products to appeal to our existing customer base and that showed in the brand’s performance.”
Dickson reiterated his commentary from the Q4 call that the company “expects this year to be choppy as it focuses on ‘fixing the fundamentals.’”
Last June, Athleta hired Tania Flynn, formerly VP of Apparel Design at Nike, as head of Design for Athleta. Flynn has worked at Nike for over 19 years and has served as the company’s VP of Apparel Design since September 2022.
Images courtesy Gap/Athleta
