Nike veteran joins Athleta for a revitalization of their stalled comeback effort
Gap Inc. has announced the appointment of Maggie Gauger as the global brand president and CEO of Athleta, effective from August 1, 2025. Gauger, a longtime executive at Nike, is expected to lead Athleta's revitalization and reverse the brand's recent sales decline.
Maggie Gauger has been with Nike for over two decades and most recently led the North America women's business. Her extensive experience and proven capabilities in business transformation, consumer focus, product innovation, retail strategy, and digital commerce are critical assets for Athleta's future growth.
Athleta, a subsidiary of Gap Inc., has been facing a sales decline. The brand peaked around $1.45 billion in revenue four years ago, but sales stagnated and then dropped in the first quarter of 2025. Gap Inc. sees Gauger as key to accelerating the brand’s revitalization through her deep understanding of the activewear market and her commitment to empowering women and girls—a mission central to Athleta's identity.
Gap CEO Richard Dickson emphasized that Gauger’s combination of business transformation skills, product fluency, and consumer centricity, along with her passionate alignment with Athleta’s “Power of She” ethos, is expected to drive the brand’s next chapter of growth grounded in purpose, performance, and community impact.
Since her appointment is very recent, measurable changes in Athleta's performance under Gauger’s leadership have yet to be reported. However, her track record at Nike and strategic focus position her to enhance Athleta’s competitiveness and growth trajectory in the activewear sector.
Prior to Gauger’s appointment, Athleta faced declining comparable sales. Chris Blakeslee, who was the former CEO of Athleta, has been replaced. He joined the company two years ago. In a statement, Richard Dickson praised Chris Blakeslee for leading the early stages of Athleta’s reset.
The recovery of Athleta is taking longer than expected, according to Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson. Analysts such as Michael Binetti of Evercore have lowered their expectations of Athleta’s turnaround, though it is unclear when their patience might run out. In its most recent quarter, Athleta's net sales fell 6% year over year to $308 million, and comps plummeted 8%, a decline worse than many analysts anticipated.
Mary Beth Laughton, another Nike vet, left Athleta shortly after it became clear that merchandising changes under her watch were falling flat. Sheila Shekar Pollak, a brand marketing executive at Athleta, departed this year. Pollak helped launch Athleta's "Power of She" branding and girls' line.
Chris Blakeslee is staying on until early November, according to financial filings. The analysts' note suggested that the Athleta turnaround may not occur by 2025. Nonetheless, Gap Inc.'s appointment of Maggie Gauger is regarded as a significant strategic move to stop Athleta’s sales decline and unlock the brand’s untapped potential through her Nike-honed expertise in women’s activewear, retail innovation, and brand purpose.
- Maggie Gauger's extensive experience and business transformation skills, valuable from her two-decade tenure at Nike, will be crucial in enhancing Athleta's competitiveness and growth trajectory in the activewear sector.
- The recovery of Athleta is proving to be a slower process than anticipated, with net sales falling 6% year over year in its most recent quarter, according to Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson.
- The appointment of Maggie Gauger as the global brand president and CEO of Athleta is viewed as a strategic move by Gap Inc. to stop the brand's sales decline and unlock its untapped potential through her Nike-honed expertise in women's activewear, retail innovation, and brand purpose.
- The departure of Sheila Shekar Pollak, a brand marketing executive at Athleta who helped launch Athleta's "Power of She" branding and girls' line, occurred this year.
