Marriott International president Stephanie Linnartz to join Under Armour as CEO

Under Armour, Inc. has announced that Stephanie Linnartz will join the company as president, chief executive officer, and member of its board of directors, effective February 27, 2023.

"As a 25-year veteran of one of the world's most respected global companies, we are thrilled to welcome Stephanie to the brand. She is a proven growth leader with a distinguished track record of brand strategy, omnichannel execution, talent acquisition and development, and passion for driving best-in-class consumer connectivity, experience, and brand loyalty," said Kevin Plank, Under Armour executive chair and brand chief.

Under Armour announces the appointment of Stephanie Linnartz as new CEO

Linnartz, the company said, currently serves as the president of Marriott International, Inc., the hospitality company, with a portfolio of nearly 8,200 properties across 138 countries and territories and 30 brands, including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Marriott Hotels, W Hotels, and Westin as well as the industry's most extensive customer-loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy, which has 173 million members.

"Responsible for leading Marriott's multi-billion dollar digital transformation, driving scale through continuous brand innovation across the portfolio, developing premier sports league and team partnerships, while architecting the extraordinary growth of its loyalty program – the board is confident that Stephanie – along with our leadership team and all of our key stakeholders – will accelerate our ability to realise the substantial opportunities for Under Armour as both an operating company and aspirational brand," Plank added.

Linnartz has served as president of Marriott International, Inc. since 2021. From 2020 to 2021, she served as group president, consumer operations, technology & emerging businesses and as executive vice president and global chief commercial officer from 2013 to 2019. Before that, she held various executive roles in sales, marketing, and finance.

Linnartz is a member of The Home Depot's board of directors, the home improvement specialty retailer with approximately 2,300 stores and 500,000 associates. Linnartz has been recognized for her industry leadership, including being named to the Forbes CEO Next 2021 list. She is also a member of the Fortune CEO Initiative, a forum of global corporate leaders committed to addressing major social issues.

Commenting on her new role at Under Armour, Linnartz said, "Under Armour is an iconic brand with a huge opportunity ahead. This company has immense energy and excitement, and I am committed to building growth while maintaining operational excellence."

Interim-CEO Colin Browne to resume his COO role

Upon Linnartz joining the company, Colin Browne, who has served as interim president and CEO since June 2022, will continue in a leadership role by resuming his position as chief operating officer.

"Colin is a world-class industry professional and has done a terrific job leading throughout the transition. Highlights include refining our long-term strategy by tripling our total addressable market, validating the renewed growth fundamentals necessary to establish sector leadership, and championing our UA team culture," said Plank.