Zion Armstrong: From Troubled West Auckland Teen to the President of Adidas North America (re-release)

Zion Armstrong is one of our favourite episodes of the year and when Apple Podcasts released their list of the best performing episodes in New Zealand in 2024 it was on it too! We've picked up a lot of new listeners since we originally released it in February and we wanted to highlight his incredible story again.

The Zion Armstrong story starts in West Auckland and involves running away from the police so fast that he started an athletics career that took him to the Commonwealth Games.

At the same time, he was selling sports shoes – and at the age of 24 was head of footwear at adidas New Zealand.

From that foothold he climbed the corporate ladder before becoming President of adidas North America where he oversaw 12,500 staff, inked deals with some of the world's biggest sports and music stars and took annual profit to a record $US6 billion after a couple of years.

And then in 2022, Zion walked away from this rock-and-roll lifestyle and returned to New Zealand in pursuit of being a better dad in the wake of his divorce, not wanting his children to experience the same disconnect he had often endured as a kid. 

We cover all the detail in this one – and it’s one heck of a ride. Zion’s inspirational story shows what’s possible with the right mindset and work ethic – and his decision to walk away shows what's really important in life. You’ll love this one.

We're also super stoked to have Zion exclusively on the books of B2B Speakers, so if you’d like him to share his story at your function or event, flick us a message by going to www.B2Bspeakers.co.nz.

Listen on wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube.

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