Former Nike CMO Joins WHOOP Amid Growth Phase

WHOOP has named Dirk-Jan van Hameren as Chief Marketing Officer following the company reaching a milestone of three million users – with the company adding one million users in the past seven months. 

Dirk-Jan, who was previously Nike’s Global Chief Marketing Officer and a two-time Olympian, has joined WHOOP to help position the company as the world’s “defining brand for human performance and proactive health”. 

“The next great health company will do more than deliver breakthrough technology,” says Will Ahmed, Founder and CEO of WHOOP.

“It will also inspire people to take control of their health every day. DJ has spent his career building brands that shape culture and motivate millions of people, and I'm excited for him to bring that experience to WHOOP.”

Three decades at Nike

Dirk-Jan spent more than three decades working at Nike – first joining the company as a mailroom assistant in 1992. Before becoming Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Nike in 2018, Dirk-Jan held a range of leadership roles such as Global Vice President and General Manager of Nike Sportswear – where he led US$7bn of Nike Sportswear revenue growth and helped drive the success of iconic franchises including Air Max, Air Force 1 and Tech Fleece.

He also led Nike's Dream Crazy campaign, which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial, and the company’s global marketing for the 2004, 2012 and 2024 Olympic Games. 

Dirk-Jan says: “What attracted me to WHOOP was the scale and importance of the opportunity.

“The company has earned extraordinary credibility with elite athletes and built an incredibly engaged, global community of more than three million members.

“But I believe we're still at the very beginning. Proactive health will become one of the defining categories of our generation. WHOOP will build the global brand that defines it.”

WHOOP’s growth phase

Dirk-Jan is joining WHOOP in the midst of a period of “unprecedented” growth, supported by a recent US$10.1bn valuation, which it says has helped it advance its global expansion and long-term vision for personalised health. 

The company has also been working closely with elite athletes across major global sports, partnering with organisations such as the PGA TOUR, Ryder Cup and the WTA. 

“During my Olympic cycling career, I wish I had access to the kind of insights WHOOP gives me today,” Dirk-Jan says. “It has helped me train smarter, made me healthier and taught me things I wish I had known much earlier.”

The company has seen its user base expand significantly in recent years on a global scale – with international membership growing more than 11x since January 2023 and teen membership growing more than 10x in the same period.

Women’s membership has also more than doubled over the past year, and membership among adults over 60 has increased over 130% year-over-year. 

“What struck me about Will was his vision, ambition and conviction to both the product and the brand,” says Dirk-Jan.

“He deeply understands that WHOOP’s next chapter is not only about unlocking human performance, but also about the expanding opportunity in proactive health.”