Wearable technology company WHOOP has appointed former Nike global chief marketing officer Dirk-Jan ‘DJ’ van Hameren as its new CMO, as the business looks to capitalise on rapid international growth.
Van Hameren joins the human performance company after more than three decades at Nike, where he worked his way from the mailroom at the company’s European headquarters to become executive vice president and global chief marketing officer.
The appointment comes as WHOOP surpasses three million members globally, after adding its latest one million members in just seven months. The company said international membership has increased more than 11-fold since January 2023, with 58 per cent of members now based outside the United States.
As CMO, van Hameren will oversee WHOOP’s global marketing strategy, including brand, creative, international markets, media, athlete and sports partnerships, and product storytelling.
“The next great health company will do more than deliver breakthrough technology,” said Will Ahmed.
“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.”
Van Hameren said he saw significant potential in the company’s next phase of growth.
“What attracted me to WHOOP was the scale and importance of the opportunity,” he said.
“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.”
Before becoming Nike’s global CMO, van Hameren served as global vice president and general manager of Nike Sportswear, overseeing a business worth US$7 billion in revenue and helping grow franchises including Air Max, Air Force 1 and Tech Fleece.
He also led major global marketing initiatives including the Livestrong campaign, the award-winning Dream Crazy campaign, and Nike’s marketing around the 2004, 2012 and 2024 Olympic Games.
Outside of marketing, van Hameren is a two-time Olympian, having represented the Netherlands in track cycling at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
