TOPLINE
Tuesday’s departure of the head of global human resources for sportswear maker Adidas AG, amid media reports of criticism by black employees of the lack of diversity, marks the latest corporate attempt to tackle the difficult problems of race that global protesters seek at the forefront. racial justice
Karen Parkin, Adidas
KEY FACTS
The Germany-based company said Karen Parkin, who had been with Adidas for 23 years, informed the company that she will resign from the executive board and leave the company immediately, a move that was met with a “mutual agreement.”
the Wall street journal They reported that some Adidas employees had asked the supervisory board in June to investigate whether Parkin was taking the right approach to address racial issues in the workplace, prompted in part by his earlier statement that racism was “noise”. only discussed in the United States.
In another article, the diary He interviewed a worker who said Adidas hires black people to help it connect with the black consumer, a key demographic of sportswear, but it was difficult for black people to advance the company.
Parkin joined Adidas in 1997 as director of sales for Adidas UK, the company said, and has since taken on increasing responsibility culminating in leading global human resources for more than five years and on the executive board since 2017.
A press release announcing Parkin’s departure did not directly address race issues, but included his statement that in the goal of creating a “more diverse, inclusive and equitable company … there is much more work to be done.”
Parkin will be replaced on an interim basis by Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted, who will remain in office until a successor is appointed.
crucial date
“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 Human Resources leader to take on the role, seize the opportunity before us and move the pace of change forward to create a more diverse and inclusive Adidas that we can all be proud of. ”
key background
George Floyd’s televised death on Memorial Day sparked protests across the globe and also launched an internal soul search in American companies, as employees, especially workers of color, voiced concern about the not-so-environments. cozy and lack of diversity. Difficult discussions about race in the workplace have led to some high-level deviations. Last week, Greg Glassman resigned as CEO of CrossFit after the leaked audio of him being made derogatory comments about Floyd’s death and also repeating conspiracy theories about the coronavirus..
Further reading
Karen Parkin, member of the Executive Board of Global Human Resources, will resign from the Executive Board of adidas (Adidas)
Adidas tweeted against racism. Its black workers say that is not enough (Wall Street Journal)
Adidas head of human resources to retire after criticism from black employees (Wall Street Journal)
CrossFit owner sells company after leaving CEO position (Forbes.com)
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