Darcy Winslow

Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Darcy Winslow is a pioneer and active practitioner of sustainability principles, exploring and experimenting with their application to all aspects of business. One of the foremost hands-on experts on the process of steering a large and successful company toward more environmental, financial, and reputational sustainability, Darcy Winslow speaks with passion about the innovative practices that can turn a company doing business-as-usual into a company that leads the way in creating innovative—and profitable—solutions to the demands of the modern business and physical environments.

Creating a Green Life Cycle. Darcy Winslow began working with Nike factories around the world in 1990, when she visited production lines and learned about the health of workers and the production practices that could be improved. In 1999, Darcy Winslow spearheaded a major sustainability effort at Nike to ensure that the creation of the world’s most recognizable brand of athletic-wear was also the most socially responsible and environmentally friendly. Winslow and her team brought a sustainability revolution to Nike with a series of real-world, product design, and engineering changes, affecting Nike plants around the world—an investment that re-branded Nike for the 21st century.

Having worked at Nike for over 20 years, Winslow held several senior management positions within the business, including: global director for research, design and development; general manager for sustainable business strategies; general manager for global women’s footwear, apparel, and equipment; and senior advisor to the Nike Foundation. In addition to these positions, she co-led two one year efforts to redesign the organizational structure, process of alignment and the cultural implications associated with massive transformation across their Footwear division and ultimately the Nike Brand.

Sustainability from the Top Down. Winslow is a senior sustainability strategist with Brightworks, Inc., an executive-in-residence and senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, a program director for Willamette University’s Sustainable Enterprise Program, and an adjunct faculty member with the Center for Creative Leadership. In 2008, Winslow founded Designs for a Sustainable World (DSW) Collective, which focuses on the development of practical yet aggressive strategies for organizations to create and adopt more sustainable and regenerative business practices. In 2009, Winslow participated in the Inspire Antarctic Expedition, hosted by British Petroleum and led by polar explorer, Robert Swan. During the expedition, she played a vital role in helping shape the dialogue regarding climate change and the growing vulnerability of natural resources and ecosystems.