Brands
Vels opens Rs 25 crore sports campus as PT Usha kicks off Chennai expansion
CHENNAI: Vels FC was inaugurated by Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha in the presence of Vels Group of Institutions chairman Ishari K Ganesh, marking a major push in Tamil Nadu’s bid to become a sporting hub.
The new campus, built at a cost of Rs 25 crore, features a Fifa-standard football turf, a residential training complex and international coaching led by Spanish trainers. More than 200 players from across India have enrolled in structured programmes, and one student has been sponsored with Rs 20 lakh for advanced training in Spain.
The site also houses the Vels Swimming School, equipped with Olympic-standard lanes, a three-tier diving platform and a 3–12 feet pool: one of the most advanced aquatic facilities in the region.
At the launch, Ishari K Ganesh, also president of the Tamil Nadu Olympic Association, awarded Kabaddi gold medallists Karthika and Abinash scholarships worth Rs 1 lakh each. He announced that 80 students from rural Tamil Nadu will receive free training, accommodation, nutrition and education as part of a grassroots talent drive.
PT Usha lauded the offer of 500 free seats each year, 200 of them for sports achievers, and congratulated Ganesh on his unopposed re-election as TN Olympic Association president. TAOA general secretary Adhav Arjuna urged more institutions to invest in sport and appealed to the IOA chief to allow Tamil Nadu to host the National Games for the first time.
The opening of the Vels Football Residential Academy and Vels Swimming School signals a bold new chapter for Tamil Nadu’s sporting ambitions.
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.
