Under Armour has appointed Liz Bacelar as its new head of AI and advanced analytics, according to a company confirmation with ADWEEK. Bacelar, formerly the executive director of global tech innovation at Estée Lauder, will be responsible for driving the brand’s generative AI strategy.
Bacelar’s role is to “fuel an era of generative AI for our organization.” She’s tasked with building a team of data scientists, engineers, and AI specialists to integrate the technology across Under Armour’s operations.
Prior to joining Under Armour, Bacelar spent four years at Estée Lauder. There, she led a research and insights team that provided analytics and briefings on industry and technology trends. She also created global innovation competitions, including two AI Ideathons with over 700 participants, as well as a competition for the online division involving more than 200 startups. Furthermore, Bacelar collaborated with Microsoft to launch an AI Lab and oversaw AI training for 500 employees across five departments. She also led the development of Estée Lauder’s inaugural NFT and Metaverse projects, including Clinique’s Metaoptimist NFT.
This hire follows criticism of a 60-second Under Armour ad from the previous year, which featured British boxer Anthony Joshua and was created using AI. The ad was criticized for allegedly reusing others’ work without proper attribution.
Other sports brands, such as Puma, are also embracing generative AI to enhance digital customer engagement. Although Under Armour has not detailed the full scope of its AI strategy, Bacelar’s appointment clearly indicates the brand’s commitment to integrating generative AI into its future endeavors.
