Aug 4, 2022
“It's not enough to have a good-sounding idea. Is that idea executable in a way that is sustainable or do you have dependencies on things that are just outside your control?”
In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, we speak to Skins Co-Founder and current CEO of eo Lab, Dean Hawkins, on the power of a brand, creatively telling the story of the business, and turning alchemy into the extraordinary.
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Dean is a vastly experienced senior executive having held a variety of senior and advisory roles over the last 25 years with international businesses across a range of industries including sports, fintech, television, broadband, apparel, and venture capital.
He has also held many Board positions including of adidas, Ten Network Holdings, I-Med Australia, Apparel Group and the Sydney Dance Company.
Dean was the Co-Founder and then Chairman of SKINS Global, a household name in compression clothing and activewear. He has also been the CFO of adidas, during which time the company’s market capitalisation grew from €1.5bn to €8bn. Prior to this he was an investment banker at UBS in Zurich where he led the successful IPO of adidas.
Dean returned to Sydney from London in late 2021 to become CEO of eo Lab, an exciting new sports technology business.
In this episode we talk about:
✅ Moving into a career where he could own the consequences of his decisions
✅ Turning adidas around by reigniting the brand with customers
✅ The intersection of a positive brand story, people and a great product and other lessons from Skins
✅ Changing the rules of the game of sports technology with his latest venture
Connecting with Dean Hawkins
You can connect with Dean via LinkedIn
Books and resources
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things - by Ben Horowitz