A Conversation with Scott Uzzell, CEO of Converse

Summary: Scott Uzzell is the CEO of Converse, a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. Established in 1908, Converse is recognized as a brand for self-expression around the world and across cultures. The interpretation and adoption of its iconic sneakers, including the Chuck Taylor® All Star®, the One Star®, and Jack Purcell® span decades. In this interview, Scott Uzzell shares wisdom on what makes him a successful CEO and how he and Converse are driving social change in the business world.

Biography: G. Scott Uzzell is the President & CEO of Converse, Inc. where he leads all aspects of the business, globally and has recently overseen the company’s successful return to the Basketball category across product, marketplace and sponsorships, after a 10-year hiatus from the sport.

Scott joined Converse, Inc. from The Coca-Cola Company where he previously served as President, Venturing & Emerging Brands Group (VEB) and led the development of a portfolio of high-growth brands, including Honest Tea, ZICO Coconut Water, Health Ade, Fairlife Milk and Suja Juice.

Scott began his career within sales and marketing for elite consumer goods companies, such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and Nabisco, before returning to Coca-Cola in ‘01 to hold a number of leadership positions across its business including Global VP New Business Development, CEO ZICO Beverage Co and VP Marketing VEB.

In addition, Scott serves on several boards, including SC Johnson Company. Scott is also a member of the Florida A&M University Foundation Board as well as a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC). He is a Trustee of Boston One Waterfront Project and Boston Chamber of Commerce Board Member.

Scott received his B.S. in business from Florida A&M University and his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Scott has a personal passion for sports like skiing, golf, basketball and cycling as well as spending time with his family. Scott and wife Sunda have two children – a son, Tanner and daughter, Sawyer.

Dickson Bowman (BT): When did you first develop an interest in business and particularly in consumer goods?

Scott Uzzell (SU): I developed my first interest in business in middle school and high school. My father was and is an entrepreneur. My grandfathers were entrepreneurs. I started my first business in either the ninth or tenth grade. It was a company focused on telephones because thirty years ago, you had to rent your phone. You didn’t own it. When the government said you could deregulate, I saved my money to start a telephone company which employed my friends and had incentives. I knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur or businessperson, so I watched everything that my father did. All through my high school years I had some type of business–car washing, cutting grass, and more. My first experience with consumer goods was an internship with Procter & Gamble, where I worked with Crest toothpaste, Tide detergent, and Pampers diapers in marketing and sales. The internship helped me connect the entrepreneurial world to the corporate world. Procter & Gamble had a healthy creative yet competitive environment that reminded me of my high school days fighting for a spot on the varsity teams. This entrepreneurial and achievement-oriented environment resonated with me.

BT: How did you further cultivate this interest in business while in college, having already developed an interest in business in middle and high school?

SU: Florida A&M required that you do three internships to graduate. In addition to Procter & Gamble, I worked at General Motors and in the technology department at Honeywell Information Systems. Because I was a business major, I had many opportunities to interact with businesses. I ran Florida A&M’s organization that provided catering and dinners for the students meeting with executives and external guests, which was a small business in its own right. Even in addition to my studies as a business major, I was involved in business in a variety of other ways throughout college.

BT: When you reflect on your various executive roles, which characteristics do you possess that have allowed you to thrive?

SU: Three things come to mind. I’m extremely curious. I’m very curious about what’s around the corner. Secondly, I love to be around people. I enjoy learning about people and meeting people, which allows me to be a better leader. Finally, I’m incredibly competitive and want to achieve. These three characteristics have been an integral part of my DNA as a businessperson.

BT: What are important habits for students to develop in college that will benefit them later in the business world?

SU: When I think of students or even of my younger self, being curious is first of mind. Don’t get too comfortable with what you already know; be curious about what you don’t yet know. You should continually do things that make you uncomfortable. If you’re a skier, try snowboarding. If you don’t surf, try surfing. Even these small things can take you out of your comfort zone. You may even surprise yourself. Also, it’s important to not fear failure. If you’re used to getting straight A’s, you may become uncomfortable with taking classes that may metaphorically lead to an F. But you need to challenge yourself to grow. Fail a few times, be curious, and try new things.

BT: When you look at the current business landscape, where would you view the best opportunities if you were graduating in 2022? How does the business world differ now from when you first started?

SU: When I got out of college, I was focused on just getting a job. People today hold job opportunities to a higher standard. It’s not necessarily about compensation either. I just wanted a job with a great career path, adequate pay, and interesting work. Today, people view their profession as an important part of their lifestyle. People have passions outside of work, including surfing, music, etc. When people graduate today, they are cognizant of including their passions in their profession. Why shouldn’t they? When you can get your profession and passions to intersect, you will never work a day in your life. This lesson took me many years to fully understand. Your generation seems to naturally find a healthy balance between passions and profession. People now are focused more on doing their best work when their genuine passion, curiosity, and creativity can be expressed.

BT: How do you explore passions outside of work and find a healthy work-life balance as CEO of Converse? How do you completely disconnect from work to recharge?

SU: Usually the people who are unbalanced can give you the best answer of how their life is balanced. I’m one of those people. I look at work-life balance holistically. My timeline is months or even years. There are times when I am consumed by work, but I make sure to rotate to being involved with my family, like coaching my son’s games or being involved with his Boy Scouts troop. I also have other go-to “therapies” that help me disconnect from work. For instance, I’m a long-distance cyclist and runner. On weekends, I’ll bike 160 miles, even in the 95 degree Atlanta weather. It’s exhausting, but while I ride, I have to focus completely, which helps keep me in the moment. I’ve recently taken up kitesurfing. Kitesurfing demands total attention to not completely faceplant, which, again, keeps me in the moment. I love to ski as well. The commonality among these activities is that I can’t think about work. If I’m really exhausted, I also love doing movie day with the family. You have to find go-to activities that recharge you and prevent you from burning out.

BT: Do you have any fond memories of Converse from your childhood, and what do you associate with the Converse brand?

SU: My parents used to buy me Converse at the beginning of the summer when I was a kid. I had a couple pairs of shoes that I would keep pristine and then a couple that I could get dirty, but I always loved getting my Converse every summer. The choices my parents had 35 years ago when buying me Converse were tiny compared to the choices consumers have today. Even with all of these choices, I still love the white Chuck Taylors that I always used to have back in the day.

BT: Converse has such a rich history. How do you balance maintaining this rich history while still staying on the cutting edge of technology and design?

SU: What’s amazing about our 100+ year history is it allows us to be a central part of culture, creativity, and sport, including basketball and skateboarding. We’re authentically and organically connected to our consumers. Our design, innovation, footwear, and apparel teams look at this history and help determine what the modern expression of that history is today. We stay connected through influencers, collaborators, and others to ensure that Converse’s past and future are connected. For instance, we recently returned to basketball, which is a key part of Converse’s history.

Warriors’ star Kelly Oubre Jr. wearing Converse basketball shoes. http://www.sjfzxm.com/global/en/577738.html

BT: How does Converse maintain its independence and brand identity under the wider Nike umbrella?

SU: Nike is really amazing and we consider our place within Nike, Inc. to be a competitive advantage in the marketplace. I led a venture capital group at Coca-Cola before joining Converse. When we bought a company, it was connected to Coke but not completely integrated. We use this same philosophy at Converse in our relationship with Nike. Converse has a distinct personality and brand story based in Boston, which makes us unique to our consumers. At the same time, we have the opportunity to leverage being connected to the #1 sports brand in the world.  What does that mean? We maintain our culture, DNA, consumer focus, and distinct product assortment, while at the same time leveraging Nike Innovation, R&D, technology, and other aspects that make us better. Our business is great because it’s independent but still connected to Nike.

BT: Since Converse shoes are such a staple of American culture and an emblem of Americana, do you think that Converse has a particularly central role in advocating for social change? What are some initiatives that Converse has taken to advocate for social change?

SU: Absolutely. Our involvement in social change is for more than just one reason. We advocate for social change for our consumer and our employees alike.  Converse is a brand with millions of followers who believe in us, but our employees make up the brand itself. They come from a variety of communities that we’re driving change in. When issues come up in the world that we do business in, businesses need to speak up, whether it be for social justice, supporting people of color and the LGBTQ+ community, denouncing violence against Asians, or fighting pay inequity in sports. We don’t speak up just because we think that our consumers want us to or because it will drive more sales. We speak up because it’s in the DNA of our brand. We get positive and challenging feedback from consumers, and both benefit the brand. Frankly, Converse has been the most refreshing of any brand that I’ve worked for because Converse takes a point of view even when others may disagree. A specific initiative that we support includes celebrating Pride Month for the sixth year in a row and making sure that the LGBTQAI+ community is a part of our community and rich history. When there is violence against the Asian community, we use our voice and platform to show that discrimination is unacceptable. We’ve come out and talked about where we stand on the matter of injustice against black and brown communities. We want to make sure that we lead from the front.

A model from the Converse Pride collection
https://www.converse.com/c/pride

Equally, we believe that representation matters, and we want our employees and our leadership team to reflect the world we want to live in.

Finally, we also invest heavily in the community. One example is our Black Community Commitment, a $40-million investment by Nike, Inc. on behalf of our Nike, Jordan and Converse Brands to support organizations that put social justice, education, and addressing racial inequality in America at the center of their work. Through this effort, we’ve supported organizations like the NAACP, Black Girls Code, The Urban League, and many others advocating for social change.

We don’t want to be just a headline in a newspaper though. These initiatives require attention every day to make sure that we’re a role model in business. Our aspiration is that every one of our employees can affirmatively say that we’re a brand that believes in the ethos of social justice, equity for all, and a world where people can be themselves.