Mumbai: Karan Kulkarni has joined Nike as Senior Specialist, Sports Marketing – Olympics & Growth, he announced on LinkedIn.
Calling the move a long-standing aspiration, Kulkarni said Nike has always represented “ambition, courage, innovation and the belief that anything is possible when you dare to push your limits,” adding that becoming part of “the iconic Swoosh family” was both humbling and exciting. He credited Adrian Bell, Tarundeep Singh, Abhishek Wakankar and Scott Braun for their trust and support in making the move possible.
Kulkarni brings over five years of experience across sports event management, sports marketing and sales, sports media, and fan engagement, with a career built around some of India’s biggest sporting properties — including the Vivo Indian Premier League, Hero Indian Super League, and Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League.
Prior to Nike, Kulkarni was Group Head – Sports at FUSE, Omnicom Media Group. Before that, he worked in Sports Partnerships at RISE Worldwide, where he was part of the team serving as exclusive agents for Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans, and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, and worked across brands including Real Cricket, Boldfit, Fancode, boAt, Mondelej, and Confirmtkt, among others.
Earlier in his career, Kulkarni served as Assistant Manager – Sports Sponsorships at ITW Consulting, and as Manager – Growth & Partnerships at Women’s CricZone.
Speaking about his career so far, Kulkarni said sport “has been at the center of everything I have done,” adding that he has consistently been inspired by “the power of sport to move people and create lasting impact.”
With this move, Nike adds to its sports marketing bench strength as it builds out its Olympics and growth-focused initiatives in India.
