Brands
Lancer Capital acquires franchise in UAE T20 League
Mumbai: Lancer Capital, a financial institution serving the blockchain industry, has made its first foray into cricket by acquiring a franchise in the UAE League.
Lancer Capital, headed by English football club Manchester United’s co-chairman Avram Glazer, has investments in a variety of best-in-class assets. He is also the owner of the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said the statement.
Welcoming Lancer Capital on board, UAE T20 League chairman and Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni said, “To have a partner who has invested into sports properties with a long term investment perspective is a testament to the strength of the UAE T20 League’s business model and its value proposition to its stakeholders and an ode to the UAE as the destination of choice for global sports events.”
“I am very excited to be a part of UAE T20 at its formation,” stated Lancer Capital LLC chairman Avram Glazer. “UAE T20 promises to be a world-class event that will be transformative to the growth of cricket in the Emirates.”
“We are extremely pleased that a legendary sports owner like Avie Glazer has chosen to partner with the UAE T20 League,” said Emirates Cricket Board general-secretary Mubashshir Usmani. “Our partnership with Lancer Capital will enable us to combine fans of the two widely followed sports – football and cricket – in a never done before manner.”
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
