Leading with a North Star: Former Decathlon CEO Barbara Martin Coppola’s Blueprint for Bold Change

Jun 4, 2025

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Born in France almost 50 years ago, Decathlon has grown into the world’s largest sporting goods retailer with over 1,700 stores in more than 70 countries. On today’s episode of Redefiners, Simon Kingston is joined by our new co-host, Marla Oates, as they sit down with former CEO of Decathlon Barbara Martin Coppola.

Barbara takes us through her globe-hopping journey in leadership roles across several industries, including technology, home furnishings, food delivery, and consumer electronics before she came to the CEO role at Decathlon. She talks about the need for a clear North Star to enable transformation, creating a culture of innovation, driving a circular product strategy, and redefining Decathlon’s customer experience in-store and online. Plus, as a member of the board of directors at INSEAD, she shares her insights on how educational institutions’ next generation leaders need to redefine what skills will be needed in a rapidly changing world.

We'll also hear from Pam Fitzpatrick, Global Head of Sustainability at Russell Reynolds Associates. Pam will discuss key insights from our 2024 Sustainability Report and the commitments we’ve made as a firm.

Four things you’ll learn from this episode:

How a North Star and guiding purpose can shape overall business strategy and leadership development
How to build a culture of innovation while maintaining a clear vision of quarterly, annual, and longer-term goals
How a circular product strategy impacts product life cycle from design and distribution through end of life
How educational institutions and young people need to redefine the skills needed in a rapidly changing world

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