Nike, the resignation of Mark Parker and the doping scandal

Change at the top of Nike. The historic CEO Mark Parker leaves: starting January 13 his place will be taken by John Donahoe. Parker, Nike's number one since 2006, will be executive president. Donahoe's experience in digital commerce, technology and its global strategy make it ideal for accelerating our digital transformation, said Parker, who joined the company in 1979 as a footwear designer.

Nike's sales do not suffer: those online sneakers, indeed, are booming and the profits of the first quarter of last month have risen compared to the expectations of the past. Although the company has recently been hit by a major scandal. Three weeks ago, the famous athletic coach Alberto Salazar was banned for four years by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for testosterone possession and trafficking, but above all for having conducted experiments with supplements and testosterone on children first and then on athletes. It was the American company that financed it through its Portland Oregon Project in Portland, a program supervised by Salazar.

Parker denied to CNBC microphones that its release is in any way tied to the scandal. A substitution like this does not happen within a few weeks: a plan that has been organized for some time. Last year, however, the accusations of misconduct and gender discrimination had shaken the company's leadership. And earlier this spring, Nike announced changes in its contract policies after the New York Times he had published the stories of some employees who said they risk losing their jobs in case of pregnancy.