Lululemon CEO Heidi O'Neill and the Leaders Who Came Before Her

The Lululemon CEO is Heidi O'Neill, who took the job on September 8, 2026, after a search that ran through a founder's proxy fight and seven months of interim leadership. The question of who runs Lululemon gets confused for a simple reason. The founder, Chip Wilson, is still a major shareholder and still in the news, but he has not run the company for years. This profile separates the roles, using the company's own announcements for every date since 2025 and Wikipedia's history for the years before, and was checked on November 4, 2026. It covers the Lululemon CEO today, how the board chose her, and the leaders before her.

Key Takeaways

• Heidi O'Neill became Lululemon's chief executive and joined its board on September 8, 2026, based in Vancouver.
• She spent more than 25 years at Nike, most recently as President, Consumer, Product and Brand.
• Calvin McDonald stepped down as CEO effective January 31, 2026, after about seven years.
• Meghan Frank and André Maestrini led as interim co-CEOs until O'Neill started.
• Founder Chip Wilson is a shareholder, not an executive, and settled a board fight with the company in May 2026.

Who Is the Lululemon CEO Today

Heidi O'Neill is chief executive officer of Lululemon Athletica. The company announced her appointment on April 22, 2026, saying its board "unanimously approved" her after a "comprehensive search process." She started as CEO and joined the board on September 8, 2026, and is based in Vancouver, where the company has its headquarters.

Her career before Lululemon was almost entirely at Nike. The company's announcement describes "over 25 years at Nike, Inc.," ending as President, Consumer, Product and Brand, where she "oversaw the global consumer and product engine." Earlier she led Nike's operations "across more than 170 countries" as President, Consumer and Marketplace, and ran its direct-to-consumer and digital business. Before Nike, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss and Co.

Lululemon also makes a claim worth reading as a company statement, not an independent measure. It says that during her career at Nike "she helped grow the company from a $9+ billion business to a $45+ billion global leader."

Her own words on the job are plain. On her appointment she said her task was "to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand's cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world." A month into the role she was blunter. "lululemon is a rare, extraordinary brand, but we have work to do to build a stronger and more competitive company."

How the Board Chose Her

The search began with a departure. On December 11, 2025, Lululemon announced that Calvin McDonald "plans to step down as Chief Executive Officer" effective January 31, 2026, and would stay on as a senior advisor through March 31. In the same announcement the board chair, Marti Morfitt, took the expanded role of Executive Chair.

Two insiders filled the gap. Meghan Frank, the chief financial officer, and André Maestrini, the chief commercial officer, served as interim co-CEOs from McDonald's exit until O'Neill arrived. The company's April announcement said both would then "return to their previous senior leadership roles."

The numbers the interim team reported show the pressure the new Lululemon CEO walked into. For the second quarter of fiscal 2026, which ended August 2, the company reported net revenue down 4 percent to $2.4 billion and comparable sales down 9 percent, with Americas comparable sales down 12 percent.

The Founder Is Not the CEO

Chip Wilson founded Lululemon in Vancouver in 1998, and the company still calls him its founder. But he left its board in 2015, according to Wikipedia's history of the company, and in December 2025 Lululemon said "Mr. Wilson has not been involved with the company for a decade."

He returned as a shareholder with demands. In late December 2025, Wilson submitted a notice to nominate three director candidates for the 2026 annual meeting, the start of a proxy fight, which is a contest for shareholder votes over who sits on the board. The company said it had asked for the nominees' names "in the interest of avoiding a costly and distracting proxy fight."

The fight ended in a deal. On May 27, 2026, Lululemon announced a cooperation agreement with Wilson, whom it described as owning "approximately 8.7%" of its common stock. Two of the people he had backed for the board, Laura Gentile, formerly ESPN's chief marketing officer, and Marc Maurer, formerly co-CEO of On, would join after the annual meeting. Wilson agreed to standstill and non-disparagement terms for about 18 months.

Wilson framed it as a change of direction. "The Board additions lululemon announced today and strategic changes already made by the team reflect meaningful progress toward restoring the company's product-first vision," he said.

So the founder shaped the board that oversees the CEO, and the CEO runs the company. Those are different jobs, and the record keeps them apart.

Lululemon's Leaders on the Record

The list below gives, in order, the chief executives named in the records read for this profile. It is not a list of every interim title in the company's history.

• Chip Wilson, founder, founded the company in 1998 (the company's May 2026 agreement and Wikipedia)
• Christine Day, chief executive, took the role in 2008 (Wikipedia)
• Laurent Potdevin, chief executive, named in December 2013, resigned in 2018 (Wikipedia)
• Calvin McDonald, chief executive, joined in 2018, stepped down effective January 31, 2026 (the company's December 2025 announcement)
• Meghan Frank and André Maestrini, interim co-CEOs, from McDonald's exit to September 2026 (the company's December 2025 and April 2026 announcements)
• Heidi O'Neill, chief executive, from September 8, 2026 (the company's April 2026 announcement)

McDonald's tenure is the one the company describes at length. It says that under him Lululemon "more than tripled its annual revenues" and expected "$11 billion in annual revenue" for fiscal 2025.

Her First Moves

O'Neill's first big decision was the shape of the team around her. On October 7, 2026, Lululemon announced a new senior leadership structure with two newly created roles, both effective October 26.

• Maggie Gauger became President and Chief Product Officer. She came from Athleta, where she had been President and CEO, after more than two decades at Nike.
• Joseph Godsey became Chief Operating Officer, joining from Walmart Canada, where he had been Chief Growth Officer.
• Searches began for a Chief Brand Officer, a Chief Communications Officer and a Chief Technology Officer.
• Two executives, Nikki Neuburger and Ted Dagnese, were set to leave on November 6, 2026.

The pattern is a Nike-trained chief executive hiring a Nike-trained product chief, and putting product at the center. O'Neill said the plan "starts with putting product, design, and innovation at the center of how we operate."

Read the Record on Lululemon

The Lululemon CEO is Heidi O'Neill, the founder is Chip Wilson, and the two roles have been separate for more than a decade. Every date above comes from a page you can open. The women in business desk keeps a related list of women chief executives of the Fortune 500, read from the same kind of record.

FAQs about the Lululemon CEO

Who is the CEO of Lululemon?

Heidi O'Neill. Lululemon named her on April 22, 2026, and she started as chief executive and joined the board on September 8, 2026.

Who was the Lululemon CEO before Heidi O'Neill?

Calvin McDonald, who joined in 2018 and stepped down effective January 31, 2026. Meghan Frank and André Maestrini then served as interim co-CEOs.

Is Chip Wilson still the CEO of Lululemon?

No. Wilson founded the company in 1998 and is a shareholder. Lululemon said in December 2025 that he had not been involved with the company for a decade.

Where did Heidi O'Neill work before Lululemon?

At Nike, for more than 25 years, ending as President, Consumer, Product and Brand. Before Nike she worked in marketing for Dockers at Levi Strauss and Co.

What was the Chip Wilson proxy fight about?

Wilson nominated three director candidates for the 2026 annual meeting. In May 2026 the company agreed to add two of them to its board, and Wilson agreed to standstill terms.

Where is Lululemon based?

Vancouver, British Columbia, where it was founded and where its chief executive is based.

Who are the interim co-CEOs of Lululemon?

There are none now. Meghan Frank and André Maestrini held the role from February to September 2026, then returned to their earlier roles.

Who runs product at Lululemon?

Maggie Gauger, President and Chief Product Officer since October 26, 2026. She was previously President and CEO of Athleta.