Fanatics has added longtime apparel executive Trevor Edwards to its board.
The former president of Nike Inc., Edwards will join the nine-person board immediately, Fanatics said in a statement. His arrival comes amid a few other changes in the Fanatics board composition over the past year—Doug Mack, who left the company last year, is no longer on the board, and neither is Magic Johnson, because of a conflict with his ownership stake in the NFL’s Washington Commanders.
“I couldn’t think of a better person to join our board right now than Trevor Edwards,” Fanatics chairman and CEO Michael Rubin said in a statement. “Trevor has incredible experience in building brands and expanding businesses globally, while never losing focus on the importance of the fan experience. We are thrilled to have him on our team.”
The move comes with Fanatics expanding into new verticals. The core apparel business is still the bulk of its business, but the company has pushed into trading cards, memorabilia and sports betting in recent years. Rubin spoke often about a potential IPO a few years ago, and that’s been pushed off amid all the new business launches. Fanatics was valued at $31 billion in its most recent funding round, in December 2022.
Edwards joined Nike in 1992 and gradually rose through the ranks to become president of Nike brand, where he oversaw the company’s $34 billion business. He was widely considered to be a potential successor to longtime CEO Mark Parker, but he stepped down in March 2018 at the same time Nike announced a company-wide investigation into workplace misconduct. (Nike said at the time there were no allegations against Edwards).
After leaving Nike, Edwards worked as an advisor to other direct-to-consumer brands. He also currently serves on the board at toy company Funko and apparel giant VF Corp. (NYSE: VFC), whose brands include Vans, The North Face and Timberland.
The nine-person Fanatics board is comprised of:
Michael Rubin – Fanatics chairman and CEO
Michael Conn – Fanatics vice chairman
Mindy Grossman – Former CEO of WeightWatchers
Jonathan Mildenhall – CMO of Rocket Companies
Gerald Storch – CEO of Storch Advisors
Lydia Jett – Former managing partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers
Greg Mondre – Co-CEO of Silver Lake
Deven Parekh – Managing director of Insight Partners
Trevor Edwards – Former Nike Brand president
