Kevin Plank was born in Maryland, Maryland on August 13, 1972. Plank is an American billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist that is also the founder of Under Armour, one of the largest sportswear brands in the world. Kevin Plank is the currently president and CEO of Under Armour, a position he has held since his return to the company in April 2024 after having stepped down in 2020. His journey from a lost college football player to a leader of a major sportswear branding is a true display of determination, ingenuity and perseverance. He was heavily involved in sports early in his life. He attended Georgetown Preparatory School and used to play youth football while he was young, until he transferred to St. John’s College High School due to disciplinary and academic difficulties.
He later transferred to the University of Maryland and played for the Terps football team as a special teams player. It was during his time playing on the field where the idea of Under Armour drew inspiration. Due to the large, sweat soaked cotton T-shirts worn by players underneath their pads angered Plank. He then searched a more effective and comfortable T-shirt for players to wear. Inspired by the moisture-wicking benefits of compression shorts, Plank began to develop synthetic fabrics that would dry and keep athletes cool. He commercialized his idea after graduating in 1996 with a degree in business administration.
Bootstrapping out of his grandmother’s basement in Georgetown, D.C. Plank funded the venture through credit card debt and personal savings, selling prototypes to top contacts and college buddies from his trunk as he drove up and down the East Coast. Plank did not design the first product to look good but rather, to win on the playing field or gym. HeatGear T-shirt was made to keep the body dry through perspiration wicking. Also, after his brother Mick Plank suggested the name of Body Armor, Plank decided to choose something entirely different: “Under Armour”.
And so, it took “armour” with the British spelling to make the memorable toll-free number. The young business brought in 17 thousands dollar from sale by 1996. The market changed dramatically in 1999 when the ESPN Magazine published a piece on the company’s advertising that cost only 25 thousand dollars but brought in over $1m in direct sales.
Under Armour became a celebrity in professional sports almost immediately. NFL franchises were eager to jump on board, and their occasional usage appeared in films likeAny Given Sundayenhanced brand recognition. Plank tirelessly worked to build credibility by overstating the size of the company to early customers; following its public offering in 2005and a significant early capital raise, Under Armour was a serious contender for industry giants Nike and Adidas in the middle of the 2010s.
For years until 2019, as the chief executive officer at UA, Plank lead the company’s program of growth. Under Plank’s leadership, with more than 5 billion dollars revenues, UA expanded its scope into women’s apparel and accessories, shoes and connected fitness, acquiring MapMyRun and MyFitnessPal. The company’s popularity soared with endorsements from famous athletes such as Jordan Spieth, Stephen Curry, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Moving to Baltimore Maryland he maintained his connection with Maryland where he was born and raised and supported the local economy. Though problems arose. In the late 2010s, the company’s expansion froze and their stock price declined due to aggressive competition, excessive Co business expansion and investigation of their accounting methods.
Investigation of the sales techniques of Plank occurred at federal level yet all allegations were dismissed without Plank being prosecuted. Thriving to the demands, Plank in Oct 2019 announced he would take the post of Executive Chairman and Brand CEO unlike CEO commencing Jan 2020. He was succeeded by COO-FRARIC Patrik Frisk and in 2023 by Stephanie Linnartz. Plank’s CEO stint was short-lived. Just over a year following P&G takeover, in March 2024, Under Armour announced that Plank would be President and CEO beginning on 1 st April 2024.
The board identified Plank’s “fundamental insight” as essential to the growth revival. Following his re-emergence, Plank defined Under Armour as a 5bn start-up, reiterating a fundamental approach that participants and innovation, and premium positioning. Plank’s turnaround plan is underway as of late 2025. Focus areas identified by Plank himself include concentrating on, “fabrics we can be famous for, ” enhancing the design expertise, and creating “best-level products.” Plank appointed a new brand president, Eric Liedtke, in 2025 and a new chief product officer, Yassine Saidi, as part of his reorganization plan.
Plank has been fairly transparent in his time frame as he has indicated that he expects to see significant bottom line improvement in 2025 fall/winter. International growth and direct channels seem to be promising considering the recent losses and challenging NA market. Under Armour flagship Brand House on the Baltimore Peninsula which opens in 2024 highlights the revitalization of the company under Plank’s reign.
Plank is known for his outside business community work and philanthropy. He has invested heavily in Baltimore’s renaissance and sits on the National Football Foundation board, though most recently left Baltimore Peninsula to focus more on Under Armour.
Plank sees structure not as suffocation but rather as a means to allow for creativity. This vision of his is embodied in his management approach characterized by being constantly involved in the business (hands-on) and keeping a close eye on the smallest details (micromanaging). He advocates for the 80-20 principle where 80-90% are operations under strict procedures whereas only 10-20% of time and effort are devoted to developing creative ideas. Plank, a married man with two children, is as much driven by the sense of an underdog that he had as a kid and it is that kind of determination that eventually helped him to build his business empire.
Dressed in casual gear, the 53-year-old boss of Kevin, Plank has the means to take a company further. Plank’s career path is a clear representation of his determination – from the field where he was physically broken and frustrated because of being soaked with sweat, to heading a top-selling brand which faces competition. It is his belief (the one he keeps in the front of the business, which is ‘to give solutions to athletes which they have never dreamed of’) that is still driving the development of new products at Under Armour – the company is once again trying to outperform its competitors in sportswear.
