Sarah Mensah has made history as the first woman (and Black woman) to hold the post as President of Jordan Brand.
This is the second history-making move in her career—two years ago she became the first Black woman to head up Nike’s North America as Vice President and GM of the multi-billion-dollar company. Her recent appointment as President of Michael Jordan’s brand underscores her prowess and pivotal contributions to the company. Mensah will be taking over for former president Craig Williams, who will now lead Geographies & Marketplace at Nike, Inc.
“Working in the Jordan Brand, I had the opportunity to sit at the table with Michael Jordan himself,” Mensah said in a 2021 Footwear News interview. “I was able to learn and draft off of his example. I understood that all success requires us to stretch and push beyond our comfort zones. The intensity and inspiration of being challenged to achieve something more by the GOAT himself stays with me to this day.”
Mensah’s upward mobility within the brand underscores a significant win for women in sports-based corporate environments, which is notoriously overwrought with men and non-minorities. The significance of her success is not lost on her.
“I have an open-door policy,” Mensah told Footwear News, as previously reported by ESSENCE in 2022. “As a leader, it’s so important to create those spaces. I’m comfortable listening and allowing my team — many of whom are senior female leaders — to help with the solution. These are the future leaders at Nike and they’re coming up with a lot of the strategies that will define the future.”
She continued: “So many of us, especially in my generation, spent a good portion of our time in business trying to emulate what the guys were doing, thinking there would be some reward at the end. The best way to unlock success is to trust that gut and know that your voice matters.”