BEAVERTON, United States — Nike Inc., which is reviewing misconduct at the world's largest sports brand, said it "acted swiftly" when it heard of behaviour problems among managers and executives.

“We take these issues very seriously and we were disturbed and saddened to hear of them,” Greg Rossiter, a spokesman for the company, said in an emailed statement. “We are committed to a culture that reflects our values and are taking steps so that all our employees have a positive experience built on respect, inclusivity and empowerment.”

The remarks follow the abrupt resignation of Trevor Edwards, the former president of the Nike brand, and one of his lieutenants, Jayme Martin. Nike cast a cloud over the moves by saying it was reviewing misconduct at the company.

The shake-up has raised concerns about a sexist culture at Nike. But Rossiter pointed to pay equity at the athletic-apparel giant.

“Last year at Nike, for every $1 earned by men, women employees globally earn 99.6 cents,” he said in the email. “Racial and ethnic minorities [combined] in the US, where we track this information, earn 99.7 cents for every $1 earned by white employees. We plan to continue to make progress, update and publish this figure annually. We will be updating this year’s results soon.”

The Beaverton, Oregon-based company also is seeking to diversify its workforce, he said.

“We are focused on attracting, developing and retaining more women and people of color,” Rossiter said. “We remain strongly committed to accelerating these numbers and increasing the number of women and people of color we have in leadership levels.”

By Matt Townsend; editor: Nick Turner.

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