Greg Merrill on Transformation: Lessons from Nike’s Former Digital Leader

📍New York, USA

Transformation is one of the most overused buzzwords in business, yet few truly understand what it takes to lead it effectively. Greg Merrill, the former Head of Digital Transformation at Nike, knows firsthand the complexities of navigating change within a global organization. In our conversation, he shared insights from his career, touching on the intersection of people, technology, and leadership. His perspective was refreshingly honest and deeply rooted in the human aspects of transformation, which he described as “the hardest part, but also the most rewarding.”

Merrill emphasized that transformation isn’t just about implementing cutting-edge technology or upgrading processes—it’s fundamentally about people. “You’re not just introducing new tools; you’re asking people to think, act, and work differently,” he explained. This shift, he noted, is especially challenging in large organizations, where silos and legacy processes can create roadblocks. At Nike, Merrill’s role was to look across the company’s value chain—from product creation to inventory planning—and identify areas for improvement. His mission was simple yet ambitious: “Where can we do things different and better?”