Earlier this year, Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive officer and the longest-tenured member of Nike’s board of directors, was helping guide co-founder Phil Knight and Executive Chairman Mark Parker through the world’s largest sportswear company’s toughest year since he joined in 2005.

In May, two months prior to the new iPad Pro release, Nike warned that sales would fall as demand for its sneakers faded due to competition from upstart labels. During the first half of this year, layoffs hit the shoemaker’s offices.

Months after the iPad launch, Cook helped advise on the handling of a leadership shake-up. John Donahoe, the former eBay Inc. boss who Cook had once endorsed for the top job at Nike, retired after just four years in the role. Cook then helped secure Elliott Hill, a Nike veteran who came out of retirement, as the company’s new CEO.

Through his director position, Cook is helping steer Nike through its biggest upheaval in decades. Sales fell 10% last quarter and the company withdrew its full-year guidance, hoping to wipe the slate clean for Hill.

Cook’s presence was noted by employees at Nike’s world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, who said that the Apple CEO would occasionally drop design suggestions for retail stores and encourage the company to focus on core products and not saturate the market.

Throughout 2021 and 2022, Nike stumbled into China controversies that Cook had some experience on, given that China is Apple’s supply chain base and one of its most important markets. Cook has dealt with his fair share of controversies in the region, spanning from conditions at suppliers to alleged violations of labor laws.

As Nike invested in revamping its digital ecosystem in China, including its online shop, apps and applets on WeChat, executives in Nike’s tech division would often quote Cook’s strategy of following the law in the regions it operates in.

Last month, when it came to evaluating CEO candidates, Hill earned the support of Cook.

Apple and Nike are close partners on the Apple Watch, with the duo selling co-branded models since 2016 that feature unique straps and watch faces. Nike also offers its own set of fitness features that Apple Watch users can install on their devices. For more, read the full Bloomberg report.