Mitchell & Ness appoints Nike exec as new CEO

U.S. vintage apparel brand Mitchell & Ness announced on Tuesday the appointment of Eli Kumekpor to the role of chief executive officer, effective immediately. 

Part of Fanatic’s commerce division, Mitchell & Ness is a premium brand which sits at the intersection of sports, culture, lifestyle, and fashion. In his new role at the vintage brand, Kumekpor will be based at Fanatics’ headquarters in Irvine, California, and will report ​to Joe Bozich, Fanatics’ CEO of vertical brands. 

With more than 20 years of strategic brand-building, financial, and operational expertise, Kumekpor joins Mitchell & Ness from Nike, where he most recently served as global vice president and general manager of the Jordan brand’s men’s business. In addition, he served as co-chair of the Nike Black employee network and was a member of the Nike Black community commitment taskforce, a group of executives responsible for leading the organization’s $140M commitment to Black communities.

​Prior to Nike, Kumekpor spent more than a decade in the healthcare industry, with leadership positions at AstraZeneca, Alcon, Life Technologies, and Cigna. He also spent several years in the strategy and operation practice at Deloitte consulting specializing in M&A strategy.

“Eli has an incredible background that includes several years leading one of the world’s most progressive, beloved brands. He is the perfect leader to take Mitchell & Ness, an iconic lifestyle and culture brand, to the next level, as well as bring an elevated product mindset to everything Fanatics designs and makes,” said Bozich.

“Eli will be focused on combining Mitchell & Ness’ momentum as a leading provider of high-quality vintage and lifestyle sports apparel, with the power of the larger Fanatics platform and network, creating new avenues for significant growth for the brand.”

Founded in Philadelphia in 1904 as a sporting goods company, Mitchell & Ness has grown to become an established vintage sporting and lifestyle brand. In 2022, it was acquired by global digital sports platform, Fanatics, and a strategic ownership group comprised of some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and business. 

Today, Mitchell & Ness continues to expand with strategic lifestyle brand collaborations and licensing relationships with preeminent sports properties – including the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, MLS and many colleges and universities.