St. Louis Blues CEO – Chris Zimmerman

I bet you never thought about it, but here’s a question to ponder...What lessons can business leaders glean from the current Stanley Cup holders? Aside from having exceptional leadership abilities, the most successful sports team CEOs and players share traits and behaviors that serve them well, on and off the ice, and throughout the duration of their careers. As frontmen and frontwomen, strong leadership is critical for overall brand and team success. Given that every business is some kind of team sport, I’m pretty sure we can all learn something here.

In my latest podcast, Chris Zimmerman, CEO of the St. Louis Blues, shares his 30+ years of experience in sports, marketing, and business management. Chris cut his teeth in advertising at Saatchi & Saatchi. He went on to hold various C-level positions at Nike, and subsequently served as President/CEO of the Vancouver Canucks. Chris also served as President of Easton Sports before joining the Blues.

Chris breaks down the ways that any brand can thrive on trust and behavior. He reflects on his time as a player and coach, and the importance of being “coachable." We also talk about the fine art of ”storytelling," and how Chris used it at Nike when the brand engaged with Tiger Woods.

Plus, you’ll hear the amazing story of how the Blues went from being in last place, alllllll the way to winning the Stanley Cup!

Prior to the Blues, Chris served as CEO of the Vancouver Canucks. Before the Canucks, he was with Nike for 11 years as North America Advertising Director and helped fuel a period of dramatic growth for the Nike brand. He was then named General Manager of Nike Golf where he played a key role in repositioning the business by entering new product categories and leveraging relationships with Tiger Woods and the PGA Tour. In 2003, Zimmerman took charge of Nike's hockey business as President and CEO of Nike Bauer Hockey, leading a dramatic turnaround that returned Bauer to the top spot in the hockey equipment industry.

Zimmerman began his career with Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world's top advertising agencies. During his 12-year tenure, he worked on marketing brands and growing revenues for such companies as Procter & Gamble, Nabisco, Tyson Foods, and Wendy's. He was also a member of the agency's Operating Board.

Over the last four years, Zimmerman served as President of Easton Sports (a leading supplier of baseball and hockey equipment), was a member of the Los Angeles Kings' Business Advisory Group, and operated his own strategic consulting business.

Zimmerman played hockey at the University of Vermont, and he served as an assistant hockey coach at Babson College while working toward his MBA there.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Castbox, or your preferred podcast platform.