Season 5 - Ep. 7 | Leading with a North Star: Former Decathlon CEO Barbara Martin Coppola's Blueprint for Bold Change

Born in France almost 50 years ago, Decathlon has grown into the world’s largest sporting goods retailer with over 1,700 stores in more than 70 countries. On today’s episode of Redefiners, Simon Kingston is joined by our new co-host, Marla Oates, as they sit down with former CEO of Decathlon Barbara Martin Coppola.

Barbara takes us through her globe-hopping journey in leadership roles across several industries, including technology, home furnishings, food delivery, and consumer electronics before she came to the CEO role at Decathlon. She talks about the need for a clear North Star to enable transformation, creating a culture of innovation, driving a circular product strategy, and redefining Decathlon’s customer experience in-store and online. Plus, as a member of the board of directors at INSEAD, she shares her insights on how educational institutions’ next generation leaders need to redefine what skills will be needed in a rapidly changing world.

We'll also hear from Pam Fitzpatrick, Global Head of Sustainability at Russell Reynolds Associates. Pam will discuss key insights from our 2024 Sustainability Report and the commitments we’ve made as a firm.

Barbara Martin Coppola
Former CEO of Decathlon

Barbara Martin Coppola is Chief Executive Officer at Decathlon, the world's largest sports goods designer and retailer, with a presence in more than 70 countries.

Decathlon employs more than 100,000 teammates sharing the same passion, building a better world by moving people through the wonders of sport. Barbara joined Decathlon in March 2022 and has been leading the company on a transformative journey since her arrival, including a global rebrand in March 2024.

Barbara is a global citizen with more than 20 years of experience spanning more than nine countries. She has worked in four different industries from semiconductors to consumer electronics, retail and pure digital players. Prior to Decathlon, she worked at IKEA as Chief Digital Officer, and had the overall responsibility for the Digital transformation of the business. She held leading positions in several global businesses such as Google, YouTube, Samsung and Texas Instruments.

Barbara brings a strong customer focus in combination with marketing, digital & tech experience. She has a successful track-record in growing and transforming businesses.

Barbara has a Master of Science in Telecommunications Engineering from Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, a Master of Science in Mobile Communications from E.N.S.T (Telecom Paris), and an MBA in Business Administration and Management from INSEAD. She is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.