Marla Oates

Hi, Simon. It's so great to be with you today.

Hi, Simon. It's so great to be with you today.

Hi, Simon. It's so great to be with you today.

You bet. Well, Simon, that's all true. I grew up on a rural farm in Canada, just north of Calgary. We had cattle, horses, chickens, cats, dogs. It was a really wonderful upbringing and taught me the value of hard work. From there, I went into investment banking. I was in Toronto, then went to your side of the pond. I spent a number of years in London.

You bet. Well, Simon, that's all true. I grew up on a rural farm in Canada, just north of Calgary. We had cattle, horses, chickens, cats, dogs. It was a really wonderful upbringing and taught me the value of hard work. From there, I went into investment banking. I was in Toronto, then went to your side of the pond. I spent a number of years in London.

You bet. Well, Simon, that's all true. I grew up on a rural farm in Canada, just north of Calgary. We had cattle, horses, chickens, cats, dogs. It was a really wonderful upbringing and taught me the value of hard work. From there, I went into investment banking. I was in Toronto, then went to your side of the pond. I spent a number of years in London.

I moved into private equity where I spent a decade, again, spent a lot of time in London, and was eventually recruited to Russell Reynolds. So here at the firm, I have the privilege of being a partner in our CFO practice and really helping our clients find excellent CFOs and finance talent. I live in Austin, have two little girls, and I'm also married to a Canadian.

I moved into private equity where I spent a decade, again, spent a lot of time in London, and was eventually recruited to Russell Reynolds. So here at the firm, I have the privilege of being a partner in our CFO practice and really helping our clients find excellent CFOs and finance talent. I live in Austin, have two little girls, and I'm also married to a Canadian.

I moved into private equity where I spent a decade, again, spent a lot of time in London, and was eventually recruited to Russell Reynolds. So here at the firm, I have the privilege of being a partner in our CFO practice and really helping our clients find excellent CFOs and finance talent. I live in Austin, have two little girls, and I'm also married to a Canadian.

Absolutely. Well, today we're going to dig into the global sporting goods industry, which was valued at $758 billion in 2024. It's projected to exceed $2.4 trillion by 2037. It's just a huge number.

Absolutely. Well, today we're going to dig into the global sporting goods industry, which was valued at $758 billion in 2024. It's projected to exceed $2.4 trillion by 2037. It's just a huge number.

Absolutely. Well, today we're going to dig into the global sporting goods industry, which was valued at $758 billion in 2024. It's projected to exceed $2.4 trillion by 2037. It's just a huge number.

Our guest today is Barbara Martin Coppola. Barbara was most recently the CEO of French sporting goods brand Decathlon. Decathlon, as you may know, is the world's largest sporting goods retailer and has 1,700 stores in more than 70 countries. They have sporting equipment for over 80 sports.

Our guest today is Barbara Martin Coppola. Barbara was most recently the CEO of French sporting goods brand Decathlon. Decathlon, as you may know, is the world's largest sporting goods retailer and has 1,700 stores in more than 70 countries. They have sporting equipment for over 80 sports.

Our guest today is Barbara Martin Coppola. Barbara was most recently the CEO of French sporting goods brand Decathlon. Decathlon, as you may know, is the world's largest sporting goods retailer and has 1,700 stores in more than 70 countries. They have sporting equipment for over 80 sports.

Barbara joined Decathlon as CEO in 2022 after more than a 20-year career working in nine different countries on three different continents. Prior to Decathlon, she was chief digital officer at IKEA, chief marketing officer at Grubhub, and served in leadership roles at Google, YouTube, Samsung, and Texas Instruments.

Barbara joined Decathlon as CEO in 2022 after more than a 20-year career working in nine different countries on three different continents. Prior to Decathlon, she was chief digital officer at IKEA, chief marketing officer at Grubhub, and served in leadership roles at Google, YouTube, Samsung, and Texas Instruments.

Barbara joined Decathlon as CEO in 2022 after more than a 20-year career working in nine different countries on three different continents. Prior to Decathlon, she was chief digital officer at IKEA, chief marketing officer at Grubhub, and served in leadership roles at Google, YouTube, Samsung, and Texas Instruments.

She also serves on the board of directors at INSEAD, which is my alma mater and one of the world's leading graduate business schools. Barbara, welcome to Redefiners.

She also serves on the board of directors at INSEAD, which is my alma mater and one of the world's leading graduate business schools. Barbara, welcome to Redefiners.