Karin Parkin's resignation comes after a group of black employees called on Adidas' supervisory board to investigate her and her strategy for addressing racial issues in the workplace. The employees are also pressing the company based in Herzogenaurach, Germany, to create an anonymous public channel to submit any problems about racism.

The demands from black employees were reported by The Wall Street Journal in mid-June.

"I am deeply committed to our goals of creating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable company, " Parkin, a board member, said in a statement on Tuesday.

"While we have made progress in many areas, there is much more work to be done. However, it has become clear to me that to unify the organisation it would be better for me to retire and pave the way for change."

In the wake of protests over police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd, for which four former Minneapolis police officers have been charged, Adidas, like many other brands, took to social media in support of racial equality. But employees at Adidas and other companies like Amazon accused them of hypocrisy, saying their own workforces lacked diversity.

Following the criticism, Adidas said that it would invest $US120 million ($A174 million) toward US initiatives focused on ending racial injustice and supporting black communities through 2025. Among other initiatives, it promised that a minimum of 30 per cent of all new positions - internal and external - will be filled with black and Latino talent.

Adidas employs about 59,000 people around the world.

Australian Associated Press