Heralding a new chapter in its up-and-down history, Under Armour has named Stephanie Linnartz  as president, CEO and member of its Board of Directors, effective February 27. 

Linnartz currently serves as the president of Marriott International, Inc., the world’s largest hospitality company, with a portfolio of nearly 8200 properties across 138 countries and territories and 30 brands, including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Marriott Hotels, W Hotels and Westin.

“Under Armour is an iconic brand with a huge opportunity ahead. This company has immense energy and excitement and I am committed to building growth while maintaining operational excellence,” Linnartz says. “I look forward to joining the incredible UA team, partnering with Kevin (Plank) and the board and leading this amazing company into its next chapter, delivering for athletes, teammates, customers and shareholders.”

“As a 25-year veteran of one of the world’s most respected global companies, we are thrilled to welcome Stephanie to the brand,” adds Kevin Plank, Under Armour executive chair and brand chief. “She is a proven growth leader with a distinguished track record of brand strategy, omnichannel execution, talent acquisition and development and passion for driving best-in-class consumer connectivity, experience and brand loyalty.

“Responsible for leading Marriott’s multi-billion dollar digital transformation, driving scale through continuous brand innovation across the portfolio, developing premier sports league and team partnerships, while architecting the extraordinary growth of its loyalty program – the board is confident that Stephanie – along with our leadership team and all of our key stakeholders – will accelerate our ability to realize the substantial opportunities for Under Armour as both an operating company and aspirational brand,” Plank adds.

When Linnartz joins the company, Colin Browne, who has served as interim president and CEO since June 2022, will continue in a leadership role by resuming his position as COO.

Linnartz has served as president of Marriott International, Inc., since 2021. In this role, she is responsible for providing strategic leadership for all aspects of Marriott’s global strategy, including brand management, sales (including e-commerce), marketing, revenue management, customer engagement, information technology, digital functions, and emerging businesses. She also oversees the company’s Marriott Bonvoy loyalty platform, global hotel development, operations services, and design organizations, and its progress on issues, including the intersection of technology and hospitality and environmental sustainability. She is currently leading a significant technology transformation program to deliver a better customer experience, drive more topline revenue, and support more efficient operations.

She has also developed successful multi-year marquee partnerships with the NFL, NCAA, and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. From 2020 to 2021, she served as group president, Consumer Operations, Technology & Emerging Businesses and as executive VP and global chief commercial officer from 2013 to 2019. Before that, she held various executive roles in sales, marketing and finance.