John Donahoe

John Donahoe
Born	John Joseph Donahoe II 30 4, 1960
Birthplace	Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive, athletic director
Title	Jaquish & Kenninger Director and Chair of Athletics, Stanford University
Known for	CEO of Nike, Inc. (2020–2024), CEO of eBay (2008–2015), CEO of ServiceNow (2017–2019)
Education	Stanford University (MBA)
Awards	Irish America Hall of Fame inductee

John Joseph Donahoe II (born April 30, 1960) is an American business executive and the current athletic director of Stanford University. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Donahoe has led some of the most prominent companies in American business, serving as president and CEO of the management consulting firm Bain & Company, as president and CEO of eBay, as president and CEO of cloud computing company ServiceNow, and as president and CEO of Nike, Inc. from January 2020 until October 2024. Born in Evanston, Illinois, and educated at Dartmouth College and Stanford Graduate School of Business, Donahoe built his early reputation in the consulting world before transitioning to leadership roles in the technology and consumer products sectors. He has also served in governance roles as chairman of PayPal and as a member of the board of directors of The Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit advisory organization. In July 2025, Stanford University President Jon Levin appointed Donahoe as the school's Jaquish & Kenninger Director and Chair of Athletics, a position he assumed on September 8, 2025.

Early Life

John Joseph Donahoe II was born on April 30, 1960, in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb on the North Shore of the Chicago metropolitan area. He is of Irish-American descent, a heritage that has been publicly recognized throughout his career.

Donahoe has spoken publicly about formative experiences from his youth, including his first job, which involved unloading beer. He later reflected on the experience in a published essay, noting the lessons it taught him about leadership, teamwork, and the value of hard work. Growing up in the Midwest, Donahoe developed an early interest in athletics and competition, interests that would later inform both his professional career in the sports industry and his eventual appointment as an athletic director.

Education

Donahoe attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He later maintained a long association with the institution, serving on the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees from 2003 to 2012.

Following his undergraduate education, Donahoe pursued graduate studies at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA). His Stanford education would become a recurring thread in his career, as he returned to the university in 2025 in the role of athletic director. When announcing his appointment, Reuters noted that Donahoe "earned his graduate degree" at the institution he would now serve in an administrative capacity.

Career

Bain & Company

Donahoe began his professional career at Bain & Company, the global management consulting firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. He rose steadily through the organization's ranks over the course of nearly two decades. In 1999, Donahoe was named president and CEO of Bain & Company, leading one of the world's most prominent consulting firms. His tenure at Bain provided him with extensive experience in corporate strategy, organizational management, and advising senior leadership teams across a wide range of industries. The skills and relationships he developed during this period would prove instrumental in his subsequent roles leading major publicly traded companies.

eBay

Donahoe's transition from the consulting world to the technology sector came when he joined eBay, the online marketplace company. He was appointed president and CEO of eBay in 2008, succeeding Meg Whitman.

During his time as CEO, Donahoe oversaw significant strategic shifts at eBay, including the growth of PayPal as a major payments platform within the eBay corporate structure. He managed the company through a period of rapid evolution in e-commerce, as eBay sought to compete with rising rivals and adapt to changing consumer behavior. Under Donahoe's leadership, eBay also expanded its mobile commerce capabilities and invested in technology infrastructure to support the platform's global operations.

In 2013, Donahoe appeared at TechCrunch Disrupt NY, where he discussed eBay's strategy and the future of e-commerce and digital payments.

One of the most consequential decisions during Donahoe's tenure at eBay was the separation of PayPal from eBay into an independent publicly traded company. The split, which was announced in 2014, was one of the largest corporate separations in the technology sector at the time. As part of the spinoff, Forbes reported that Donahoe was set to receive a $23 million "golden parachute" exit package upon departing as CEO following the completion of the PayPal split. Donahoe stepped down as eBay CEO in 2015 upon the completion of the separation. He subsequently served as chairman of PayPal's board of directors.

ServiceNow

Following his departure from eBay, Donahoe took on a new leadership role in the enterprise technology space. In February 2017, he was named president and CEO of ServiceNow, a cloud computing company that provides digital workflow solutions for enterprise organizations.

At ServiceNow, Donahoe led the company through a period of significant growth in the cloud services market. Enterprise cloud computing was expanding rapidly during this period, and ServiceNow's platform for automating IT service management and business processes was in growing demand among large organizations. Donahoe served as ServiceNow's CEO until 2019, when he departed to take on the leadership of Nike.

Nike

On October 22, 2019, Nike, Inc. announced that Donahoe would succeed Mark Parker as president and CEO of the company, effective January 2020. The appointment placed Donahoe at the helm of the world's largest athletic footwear and apparel company. His background in technology and e-commerce was seen as relevant to Nike's strategic emphasis on direct-to-consumer sales, digital engagement, and technological innovation in its products and supply chain.

Donahoe's tenure at Nike coincided with a period of considerable upheaval in the global economy and the retail sector. The COVID-19 pandemic, which began shortly after he assumed the CEO role in January 2020, forced sweeping changes in consumer behavior and retail operations worldwide. Under Donahoe's leadership, Nike accelerated its digital transformation, investing heavily in its direct-to-consumer channels, including the Nike app and Nike.com, and reducing the company's reliance on third-party wholesale partners.

Donahoe's strategic emphasis on digital sales and direct consumer relationships represented a significant shift for Nike. While the digital push drove growth in online sales, the strategy also drew scrutiny. Nike's reduced presence in some traditional retail channels raised questions about the long-term implications for brand visibility and market reach. The company's stock performance and market position during this period reflected both the opportunities and challenges of the accelerated digital strategy.

Donahoe served as Nike's president and CEO until October 2024, when he departed the role. His nearly five-year tenure encompassed some of the most turbulent and transformative years in the global retail industry.

Stanford University Athletic Director

On July 31, 2025, Stanford University President Jon Levin announced the appointment of Donahoe as the school's Jaquish & Kenninger Director and Chair of Athletics. The appointment was widely covered in both sports and business media, with outlets including ESPN, The New York Times, Reuters, the San Francisco Chronicle, and WWD reporting on the hire.

The San Francisco Chronicle noted that Donahoe's hiring reflected "the transformation of college sports," as universities increasingly sought leaders with significant business and corporate management experience to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of collegiate athletics, including issues related to name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights, conference realignment, and evolving revenue models.

Donahoe officially began his role at Stanford on September 8, 2025. During his first week on campus, he met with student-athletes, coaches, and staff, and issued a public message to the Stanford community expressing his commitment to the university's athletic programs. Stanford competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), having joined the conference as part of the broader realignment of collegiate athletics conferences.

The appointment marked a return to Stanford for Donahoe, who had earned his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business earlier in his career.

Board Memberships and Governance

Beyond his executive roles, Donahoe has held several prominent board and governance positions. He served on the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College, his undergraduate alma mater, from 2003 to 2012.

Donahoe has served as chairman of PayPal, maintaining his connection to the payments company he helped spin off from eBay during his tenure as CEO of the parent company.

He is also a member of the board of directors of The Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit advisory organization that works with nonprofits, philanthropists, and social enterprises to advance social impact.

Political Activity

Public records indicate that Donahoe has made political donations over the course of his career.

Recognition

Donahoe has received public recognition for his Irish-American heritage and his accomplishments in business. He has been profiled by Irish America magazine, which covers prominent Irish-Americans in business, politics, culture, and the arts.

His career trajectory—from management consulting to leading major technology and consumer companies—has been the subject of coverage in numerous business publications, including Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg News, CNBC, and The New York Times. BusinessWeek profiled Donahoe during his time as CEO of eBay, noting his connection to the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

His appointment as Stanford's athletic director in 2025 generated extensive media attention, with coverage spanning both sports outlets such as ESPN and business and fashion publications such as WWD and Reuters, reflecting the intersection of business leadership and collegiate athletics that characterized the hire.

Legacy

John Donahoe's career has spanned the intersection of management consulting, technology, consumer products, and collegiate athletics. His leadership of Bain & Company, eBay, ServiceNow, and Nike placed him at the helm of organizations during periods of significant industry change—from the rise of e-commerce and digital payments to the transformation of cloud computing and the accelerated shift to direct-to-consumer retail.

The separation of PayPal from eBay, overseen during his tenure, created one of the most valuable financial technology companies in the world and reshaped the digital payments landscape. His subsequent role at Nike came during one of the most challenging periods in retail history, as the COVID-19 pandemic upended global commerce and accelerated the adoption of digital shopping channels.

Donahoe's appointment as athletic director at Stanford University in 2025 represented a new chapter in his career and reflected broader trends in collegiate athletics, where universities have increasingly sought leaders with significant corporate and business experience to manage the growing complexity of college sports programs. The San Francisco Chronicle framed the hire as emblematic of "the transformation of college sports" in an era of conference realignment, NIL rights, and evolving financial models.

Throughout his career, Donahoe has maintained connections to both Dartmouth College and Stanford University through board service and alumni engagement, and his return to Stanford as athletic director closed a circle that began with his graduate education on the same campus decades earlier.