There is change at the helm of P448. The Milan-based high-end sneaker brand, which has been 100% US-owned for more than five years, has appointed former Nike and Archipelago executive Jordan Morrell as its new CEO.

Jordan Morrell takes the helm of P448 with a robust financial grounding and a long ascent within Nike, where for more than a decade he held key roles in the Beaverton-based company’s digital and creative transformation. After beginning his career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank and overseeing the finances of institutional projects such as the expansion of New York’s MoMA, Morrell rose through the ranks at Nike to become vice president of strategy and operations for global design. In this capacity, he managed an operating budget of more than $100 million and coordinated over 1,000 designers, successfully balancing creative ambition with the company’s exacting commercial objectives.

Throughout his time at Nike, Morrell distinguished himself as a pioneer of innovation and direct-to-consumer. He was the general manager behind the success of NIKEiD and the launch of Nike+ Digital, turning wearable products such as the FuelBand into multi-million-dollar businesses. His ability to optimise profitability- increasing gross margins and driving double-digit growth in e-commerce revenue- has cemented his reputation as an expert in complex go-to-market strategies, capable of managing production cycles on a global scale while maintaining a bespoke focus on product personalisation.

Before taking on the CEO role at P448, Morrell honed his skills as a “change agent” and investor in the lifestyle sector. Most recently, he was senior vice president at Archipelago Companies, leading product creation for high-profile brands such as OluKai and Roark, focusing on brand elevation and excellence in footwear design. Alongside this, he founded Swingshift Ventures- a boutique advisory and investment firm for high-growth consumer brands.

“It is an absolute honour to lead a global footwear company based on craftsmanship, comfort, and culture,” said Jordan Morrell. “I am deeply inspired by the team, the product and the marketing at P448, and I look forward to defining and leading this new era of growth together.”

P448, founded in 2014 by Marco Simone and Andrea Curtis, is now led by Wayne Kulkin, a leading expert in the footwear industry, having worked for 25 years as CEO of the American footwear brand Stuart Weitzman. Through his company StreetTrend (launched in 2017), he invested in P448 in 2018- acquiring a 30% stake- after serving as its distributor in several markets, and then in October 2020 secured 100% of the Made in Italy footwear brand’s shares from NoThanks SpA for an undisclosed sum.

P448 kicked off an expansion strategy in China in 2024, starting with a dedicated Tmall store and continuing with other company-owned physical stores in Beijing and Macau, as well as the opening- concurrent with Morrell’s appointment- of a flagship at the Shanghai iAPM Mall, designed in collaboration with Woody Yao. The company also plans to develop this business model throughout the Asia-Pacific region, with the South Korean and Taiwanese markets as the next phase of growth.