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Vice President, EMEA Finance, Operations & Strategic Planning (2004-present)
Jim Allaker is responsible for finance, business planning and operations for Nike’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, where he has helped lead Nike Europe from a $1 billion business in the mid-1990s to the $4 billion business it is today.
As part of its European leadership team, Allaker helped guide the centralization of Nike’s European logistics in one customer service center in Belgium, implemented a combination of agent and buy-sell structures, and standardized prices and customer terms and conditions across the countries. Other successes include implementing shared services centers in Nike’s European headquarters, installing Oracle software and then later SAP software in Nike’s operations across Europe, expanding operations to countries in Central and Eastern Europe, and expanding Nike retail operations in the European Union.
Before joining Nike, Jim served as a business consultant for the Northern Region Cooperative Development Association. He also worked in financial planning and reporting for North East Cooperative Association, and as an engineer for British Steel Corporation.
The coolest thing about working at Nike, according to Jim is that it is competitive (that’s cool), it’s honest (that’s cool), and it’s as much about how you win as the winning itself (that’s very, very cool). | 