India and Nike discuss deepening manufacturing and sourcing ties

Indian Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal met senior leadership from US sportswear giant Nike in Milwaukee during the G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting. Discussions focused on broadening the company's long-standing commercial relationship with India across domestic manufacturing, local sourcing, and supply chain infrastructure.

He met senior Nike executives, including Venkatesh Alagirisamy, EVP & COO, Rob Leinwand, EVP & chief legal officer, and Jorge Casimiro, VP & chief government & public affairs officer.

Goyal wrote on social media platform X: “When it comes to investing in India’s growth story, the message is simple: Just Do It!" "We discussed opportunities to build on Nike’s longstanding engagement with India and explored avenues to deepen their presence across manufacturing, local sourcing, and the broader sports ecosystem,” Goyal added.

The meeting follows Nike's broader global operating model restructuring, under which the sportswear brand announced plans to establish a new corporate campus in Bengaluru to strengthen its operational framework in the country.

Strategic alignment with domestic production goals

Following the discussions, Goyal highlighted the potential to expand the historical endorsement-based relationship into industrial capabilities, including domestic production, employment generation, and supply chain integration.

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who became the first Indian athlete to sign an endorsement agreement with Nike in the 1980s, noted the historical context of the partnership in a personal message to the minister.

For India, an expanded operational commitment from Nike aligns with the government's Make in India initiative, which aims to scale domestic industrial output, expand employment opportunities, and enhance regional integration within global retail supply networks.