Outwork the Competition: Jordan Brand’s Winning Strategy with President Sarah Mensah

Redefiners

Great leaders at the top of their game have the audacity to continue to believe in themselves, to continue to work harder and keep trying, even when faced with failure. It’s a superpower that helps them redefine themselves, their companies, their industries, and ultimately be successful.

Today, we sit down with one of those audacious leaders. Sarah Mensah is the first female president of Jordan Brand, which revolutionized sports marketing in 1984 when Nike partnered with Michael Jordan to create the first Air Jordan basketball shoe. Sarah has broken barriers throughout her career at the Portland Trailblazers, Nike, and now Jordan Brand. We’ll talk with Sarah about the power to be unabashedly yourself, harness humility and courage, and use your voice in the right way to be a trailblazer in your career. We’ll explore how Jordan Brand is committed to improving the lives of Black people and inspiring communities across the world to ensure racial equality, social justice and greater access to education. And she’ll share how risk-taking, innovation, and values-based decision-making are core parts of the DNA driving Jordan Brand’s global growth.

We’ll also hear from Hetty Pye, a Managing Director in our London office, who will discuss the gender imbalance in today’s C-suites and the steps organizations can take to close the gap.

If you’d like to read more about Sarah Mensah and how women are rewriting the rules for success to close the gender gap at the top of organizations today, pick up a copy of To The Top by Russell Reynolds Associates Managing Director Jenna Fisher.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:

• Sunscreen and Success: Supergoop!'s Winning Formula with CEO Amanda Baldwin
• Opening Hearts and Minds on Late Night News with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle
• From Server to COO: Kat Cole’s Journey to the Top