John Donahoe
Born 1960 · Age 66
American businessman; former CEO of Bain & Company, eBay, ServiceNow and Nike; chairman of PayPal; served on Dartmouth trustees; named Stanford athletic director in 2025.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Evanston, Illinois
John Joseph Donahoe II was born in Evanston, Illinois.
Graduated New Trier High School
Graduated from New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.
First job at Schlitz beer distribution
Worked at a Schlitz beer distribution company after his senior year; required joining the Teamsters union.
Earned A.B. in Economics from Dartmouth College
Graduated from Dartmouth College with a bachelor's degree in economics; member of Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity.
Received MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business
Earned an MBA from Stanford GSB (MBA '86).
Joined Bain & Company
Started at Bain & Company as an associate consultant; began nearly 20-year career at the firm.
Became President & CEO of Bain & Company
Promoted to president and CEO of Bain & Company (the firm's top leadership role).
Joined Dartmouth College Board of Trustees
Appointed to Dartmouth College's Board of Trustees (served as trustee).
Left Bain & Company after ~20 years
Ended nearly two decades at Bain to join eBay (approximate departure year).
Led eBay Marketplaces M&A activity
Oversaw more than 40 acquisitions while leading eBay's Marketplaces/business (examples named: Shopping.com, StubHub, Gumtree, LoQUo, Shutl).
Hired as President of eBay Marketplaces
Left Bain & Company and was hired to lead eBay Marketplaces, focusing on eBay's core business.
Became President & CEO of eBay Inc.
Succeeded Meg Whitman as president and chief executive officer of eBay (took the role March 31, 2008).
Referenced family life & work-life views (Lean In essay)
Co-authored or contributed to a piece 'We Leaned Into Our Marriage' (LeanIn essay dated July 15, 2013 in sources; family & children referenced in Dartmouth profiles).
Ended service on Dartmouth Board of Trustees
Concluded tenure on Dartmouth's Board of Trustees (served 2003–2012).
Reported eBay golden parachute in PayPal split
Reports noted a $23 million golden parachute for Donahoe related to a PayPal split (reported by Forbes).
Speaking engagement: Disrupt NY (TechCrunch)
Scheduled to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt NY (coverage referenced March 26, 2013).
Became member of Nike Board of Directors
Joined Nike's board of directors (profiles indicate he served on Nike's board since 2014).
Stepped down as CEO of eBay
Left role as eBay's president & CEO; replaced by Devin Wenig (departure dated July 19, 2015).
Took a year off (rejuvenation 'repotting')
Stepped back for roughly a year: traveled with his wife, welcomed first grandchild, and completed a 10-day silent Buddhist retreat.
Serving as Chairman of PayPal (reported)
Referenced as chairman of the board at PayPal in several profiles (status noted in 2017 coverage).
Named Chairman of The Business Council (reported)
Referenced in profiles as having served as chairman of The Business Council (exact appointment date not specified in sources provided).
Named President & CEO of ServiceNow
Announced as president and chief executive officer of ServiceNow, a cloud software company (announcement Feb 2017).
Received Ernest C. Arbuckle Award (Stanford GSB)
Accepted the 47th Ernest C. Arbuckle Award recognizing leadership (event March 7, 2017 at Stanford GSB).
Listed on Bridgespan Group Board of Directors (reported)
Profiles and sources list Donahoe as a member of The Bridgespan Group's board of directors (reference archived in 2019).
Announced as next CEO of Nike
Nike announced Donahoe would succeed Mark Parker as CEO (announcement October 2019).
Profiled in Dartmouth Alumni Magazine
Featured in Dartmouth Alumni Magazine (July-August 2020) discussing being the first 'outsider' CEO of Nike and leadership during the pandemic.
Public statements on leadership during COVID-19
Spoke about leading Nike during the pandemic, including hosting a Zoom call with ~25,000 Nike employees (profile commentary July-August 2020).
Assumed role as CEO of Nike
Officially succeeded Mark Parker and became president & CEO of Nike on January 13, 2020.
Reported Nike compensation: $32.8M
Total compensation from Nike in 2023 was reported as $32.8 million.
Nike workforce reduction decision (Oregon)
During 2024 Nike reported tumbling stock and Donahoe made a decision to cut roughly 15% of Nike employees in Oregon (reported in 2024 coverage).
Announced to be leaving as Nike CEO
Announcement that Donahoe would be replaced by longtime Nike employee Elliott Hill; announcement reported September 19, 2024.
Last day as CEO of Nike
Donahoe's last day as Nike CEO was October 12, 2024; he continued as an advisor thereafter until January 2025.
Concluded Nike advisory role
Continued as an advisor to Nike until January 2025 (advisory role end).
Named Stanford University Athletic Director
Named Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics at Stanford University (announcement July 31, 2025).
Assumes role as Stanford Athletic Director
Effective date for his role as Stanford's athletic director (effective September 8, 2025).
Key Achievement Ages
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