Eddy Harber
Senior Designer, Research Product Materials (RPM)
Nike
Born in London, Eddy Harber was raised in West Sussex, England. He went on to receive a degree in Fashion Design from East London University. Following his university study, Harber spent two years in the sports apparel industry as a designer. In pursuit of a master’s degree in Industrial Design, he later enrolled at DeMontfort University in Leicester, England. While there Harber studied automotive design and engineering, as well as industrial design.
After earning his MA, Harber joined an Italian motorcycle company, designing leathers for riders. He then partnered with the British and United States Armies to develop wearable computers for the infantry. This project led him to design body armour and load carriage systems.
Through a lecture he gave in 1998 at Cornell University on design, Harber connected with Nike. He was soon hired by the world’s leading sports and fitness company to work with their RPM Team (Research Product Materials). In this position he has spent the last two years driving Project Swift, a new technology platform created to maximise a sprinter’s performance.
Rick MacDonald
Innovation Director, Research Product Materials (RPM)
Nike
A native of Kirksville, Missouri, Rick MacDonald was raised in both Maryland and Maine. Following collegiate study at Marietta College in Ohio, he spent four years managing sports retail operations in New England.
MacDonald’s final stint on the retail side of the business was with Nike’s running specialty store in Wellesley, Massachusetts. That position quickly led him to Nike’s World Headquarters in Oregon.
For more than 11 years at Nike, MacDonald has been in the apparel product development area. His specific roles included a materials development position in the company’s Singapore regional sourcing office and a Senior Developer stint for the ACG (Outdoor) and Running categories.
MacDonald currently serves as Apparel Innovation Director on the RPM (Research Product Materials) Team. He has spent the last two years driving Project Swift, a new technology platform created to maximise a sprinter’s performance. He, along with colleague Eddy Harber, created the Swift Suit, the environmentally friendly Stand-Off distance running singlet and the Alpha Relay Glove.
Ken Black
Olympic Creative Director
Nike
Born in Oakland, California, and raised in Salem, Oregon, Ken Black wanted to play basketball for a living – but found his talents were more suited for a design studio than a basketball court. Black is an honours graduate of The Art Centre College of Design in Pasadena, California.
Black is Nike’s Creative Director for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. He has spent the past two years driving the global strategic, visual, and product design direction for Nike Inc.’s involvement in the Olympics.
As an original member of Nike’s Team Sports Product Division, Black design directed for the football, basketball, ice hockey, and soccer categories at the professional, collegiate, and retail levels.
In the course of his Nike career, Black has worked with virtually every major U.S. professional sports league and countless collegiate and international sports programs on product, uniform and brand development, and design. He has creatively directed and designed the brand positioning, new identity, and uniforms for a number of sports teams, including the Super Bowl Champion, Denver Broncos.
For further information contact Sophie Blue (02 9818 0949, 0416 006 821), Ty Jernstedt (02 9818 0957), Donna Tout (02 9818 0913) or Claire Sharpe (02 9818 0948, 0412 064 384) at Professional Public Relations.
Source: Australian Olympic Committee