Chief Sustainability Officer & Advisor | Nike (retired)

Noel Kinder is a thought leader in global sustainability and has over 20 years of experience in general management, strategic planning, supply chain management, and government relations.

Noel most recently served as Nike’s Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) where he led a global organization committed to protecting the planet to maintain an environment where all athletes can train, live and thrive. In this role, Noel led Nike’s “Move to Zero” strategy and integrated sustainability across functions, resulting in Nike’s recognition as an industry leader in sustainability.

Prior to becoming the CSO, Noel was the Vice President of Sustainable Manufacturing and Sourcing, where he was responsible for collaborating with Nike Inc.’s business units, contracted factory leadership, representatives in academia and the NGO community on the evolution of the company’s sustainable business performance policies.

Noel was previously the General Manager of Nike Vietnam LLC, one of the company’s largest sourcing countries, where he was responsible for all manufacturing operations and represented Nike as the country’s largest indirect employer to the Vietnamese government.

He is a member of various committees aimed at aligning innovation and sustainability. He is a sought-after speaker and has delivered talks about operationalizing and integrating sustainability, most notably at the NASDAQ Leadership Exchange Roundtable and Reuters IMPACT.

Noel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Oregon and a Master’s degree in Business from Portland State University. He is fluent in Spanish.