A new era in decathlon

Wolf Olins Global CEO Saira Ashman sit together barbara martin coppolaDecathlon's CEO discusses Decathlon's transformation from a sports retailer to a sports brand, the importance of balancing profitability, growth, and sustainability, and his CEO advice for other leaders on a similar journey. I'll talk about it.

You became Decathlon's global CEO in 2022. Many new CEOs begin their tenure with a set of priorities and several key goals that are reflected in the new business strategy. You started by establishing a new North Star for your organization, which is the basis for your business strategy. Why did you think it was important to start with a vision?

When I joined Decathlon, I recognized the need to be clear about our purpose and long-term ambitions. In fact, having a purpose-driven culture with a clear vision is critical to aligning and guiding teammates toward a unified goal.

It was inspiring to witness the deep commitment of my colleagues to sport and their understanding of the social and environmental importance of sport. By harnessing our collective aspirations, we have created what we call a 'North Star' and shaped a visionary manifesto outlining our ambitions for the next decade.

The North Star is like a lighthouse that guides our actions and decisions. It is human-centered and represents a call to action to foster a more sustainable future for both business and society.

It resonates deeply and evokes an emotional response because it speaks to the heart and moves people when it interacts with it.

We distilled the essence of North Star into an engaging video that made an even bigger impact on teammates around the world.

You are the first CEO hired from outside Decathlon and the company's first female CEO. What was it like arriving as an outsider to help a business with such a strong tradition transform into something new? What advice would you give to other CEOs going through a similar experience? do you have?

I was honored to be the first woman and the first external hire for this role. I feel a great responsibility to not only help Decathlon reach its full potential, but also to open doors to leadership positions for other underrepresented groups.

First, it was very important for me to spend time with as many people as possible, both old and new, to really understand what the company was all about. People were interested in who I was and what I stood for. Seeing that we shared the same values ​​and that I was approachable, they were immediately willing to work together.

I then set out to deeply understand Decathlon's history, its journey from day one in 1976, when a group of friends came together to make sports affordable. By truly understanding our past, we were able to better form a collective vision of what we wanted our future to be.

Respecting the past while creating the future is a delicate balance. To make a positive impact on a company, it's important to maintain your own critical thinking while adapting to its culture.

The benefit of being an outsider means you benefit from a new perspective. Don't be afraid to be bold and challenge the status quo.

When challenging the status quo, it's important to explain why there is a better way, but it's even more important to co-create solutions.

Sustainability is very important to you. And most Decathlon employees who want their business to lead the way. How do you approach the balance between profitability, growth and sustainability?

Our commitment to minimizing our environmental footprint is not just a priority, it's a guiding principle.

Part of our new strategic vision is a shift away from measuring success based on the number of new products sold. Instead, we focus on how many people we can help practice sports.

This opens the door to new circular business models that create value in multiple ways. This required a complete rethinking of the way we do business.

We now give equal priority to both economic and sustainability indicators in our performance evaluations. All employee bonus incentives include both global and financial components. Because value goes so far beyond traditional financial metrics, we even changed the title of our Chief Financial Officer to Chief Value Officer.

Our goal is to consistently decouple sales growth from CO2 emissions and aim for carbon neutrality by 2050. Growth for us is not just about expanding our business. It's about ensuring that our customers don't sacrifice the very environment in which they thrive: the planet.

Apart from our circular business model, we focus on using less hazardous materials, reducing water consumption, adopting renewable energy sources, minimizing means of transport for highly pollutant substances, and innovating in product production. pushing the boundaries of.

Unlike other sports brands, Decathlon did not have a symbol, so adding “L'Orbit” to the wordmark was the main focus of many media outlets. You've always said that a brand is more than a logo. What is the role of this new visual identity for Decathlon?

Our new purpose is to inspire people through the wonders of sport.

Movement has a double meaning. It's not just about moving physically, it's about moving emotionally. The refreshed visual identity aims to build an emotional bond with customers.

It's more than just a logo; it's an update of our positioning, our very essence. We created a new system to evolve Decathlon and the customer experience we provide.

This new form of self-expression will gradually change every touchpoint we have with our customers, whether in-store, online or with products, but also by creating entirely new touchpoints that don't currently exist. .

It's all about making memories, building connections, and being your partner in your sports adventure.

low bit is its symbol, combining our classical typology, circularity and Mother Nature, encompassing everything we believe in through one logo.

We are transforming from a retail store to a sports brand. We don't just sell sports products, we create experiences.

Whether it's your child's first bike trip, a family camping trip, training for a marathon, or even climbing Mount Everest. Decathlon is by your side.

Our visual identity helps inform this. It's about opening Decathlon's beautiful blue box to the world and revealing the magic inside.

Looking back at what you have achieved so far, is there anything you would do differently or anything you would like to share with others starting a similar journey?

I am extremely proud of what we have achieved as a team of 100,000 sports enthusiasts. Every step of the way, all of my teammates gave their all, whatever their role in the transformation. This is significant. Relying on the people around you will help you achieve results.

Probably the point I would like to emphasize is communicating more with your teammates. Decathlon is a company where people tend to spend their entire careers. Therefore, change can be worrying. Therefore, it is very important to have clear and reassuring communication on a regular basis.

Enable everyone to participate and support the journey together. Always be open to feedback, stay agile, and be ready to learn along the way.