Kathy Varol

Kathy Varol built the global purpose strategy for Adidas, a 22-billion dollar company. Now Varol shares her knowledge with audiences on how to embed a purpose into their company to stand out in a competitive environment, attract the best talent, drive employee engagement, gain enviable consumer loyalty, and fully harness the innovative brainpower of their employees.

Varol is called a “force for change” and a “transformative storyteller.” The global purpose strategy Varol built for Adidas encompassed everything Adidas does to positively impact people and the planet, including:

A holistic sustainability strategy that further established adidas as a leader in retail sustainability, and inspired an army of loyal brand advocates to join a movement to end plastic waste. An impactful social equality strategy that provided access to sport for girls around the globe, developed new products, and initiated bold corporate actions to stand against inequality (including equal bonus pay for Women's World Cup winners, and supporting the fight for racial justice in the USA).

A progressive Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) strategy that fostered a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and continuous improvement with internal processes, metrics, and accountability.

This Global Purpose strategy created impact. A thorough assessment by S&P in 2021 awarded adidas an ESG score of 85, placing the company among the top 10% rated by S&P Global Ratings.

Varol started her career as a bright-eyed idealist, joining the Peace Corps straight out of college. Along her journey, the idealist combined with her inner strategist, creating a catalyst for good. Now Varol has 20 years of experience in brand marketing, strategy, and impact, working at established brands like adidas, MillerCoors, and Microsoft.

Varol is a sought-after speaker, Purpose Strategy Expert, and CSR & ESG consultant who has spoken and led workshops around the globe. She shares her knowledge with audiences on how to embed a purpose into their company in order to transform their culture, their business, and impact the world.

Varol also hosts the “Purpose and Profit” podcast, where she interviews some of the most innovative business leaders using business as a force for good. The “Purpose and Profit” podcast is rated in the top 2.5% of podcasts globally.

Varol is an explorer at heart. She has created as many opportunities as possible to discover the different corners of the world. As a result, she has bartended in Australia, served coffee in the UK, made rugs and taught kickboxing in Morocco, gutted fish in Alaska, created sportswear strategy in Germany, and developed new beers in middle America.

Varol now lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two dogs. She has an MBA from Georgetown University, and sits on the board of advisors for Masawa (the world's only social impact fund focused solely on mental wellness) and Lucky Envelope Brewing.