Strava, the leading digital community for active individuals, has just announced the appointment of their new Chief Executive Officer, Michael Martin. With a community spanning more than 120 million athletes worldwide, this exciting update follows the recent news of current CEO and Co-founder, Michael Horvath's decision to step down from his post.
Martin, a seasoned executive in the technology, media, and retail sectors, will kick-start his new role from January 2, 2024. His significant leadership credentials are impressive, with a long-standing career serving top consumer and technology brands. Martin's previous roles notably include leadership positions at a range of Fortune 100 companies such as Nike, Disney, and NBCUniversal. Currently, he serves as the general manager of YouTube Shopping, focusing on helping creators diversify and build their businesses through commerce.
Drawing on his rich repository of experience, notably his tenure at Nike where he served as the first product leader, Martin's responsibilities there included Nike's connected fitness portfolio, featuring Nike Run Club, Nike Training Club, Nike Adapt, and the Apple Watch Nike+. Strava, having made remarkable strides over the years growing its community from 50 million to over 120 million members, and expanding the team to over 400 employees worldwide, anticipates Martin will positively impact their future growth.
Reflecting on the company's journey, Horvath stated, "I am incredibly proud of what the Strava team has accomplished, especially during the past four years during which we built our subscription with the needs of our community in mind and strengthened our foundation for future growth." He expressed confidence in Martin as the new leader who would "build Strava's momentum even further" as he steps into his new role as Executive Advisor to the CEO.
Martin joins Strava at a critical time as the company's growth continues its upward trajectory and plans to scale product offerings in 2024 are on the horizon. The soon to be launched 'Year In Sport' global initiative, along with the latest rollout of in-app messaging, further bolster the company's exciting future prospects.
Martin shared his enthusiasm about joining the Strava community, "I am in awe of what Michael, Mark and the Strava team have built. As a member of the Strava community, it is a dream to join this company and have the opportunity to take it to the next level in service of athletes everywhere."
Michael Moritz, Strava board member and former Chairman of Sequoia Capital, highlighted Martin's invaluable insight derived from his experience working in the world’s most competitive digital markets. Moritz believes Martin's knowledge of delighting hundreds of millions of consumers makes him well-equipped to build upon Strava's many achievements thus far.