Puma
German sportswear brand Puma has announced the following executive appointments:
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Maria Valdes has been promoted to Chief Brand Officer, effective immediately;
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Ronald Reijmers has been appointed Vice President of Global Retail, effective November 1.
Maria Valdes currently serves as Puma’s Chief Product Officer. Her promotion is a key part of the brand’s restructuring of its marketing division and the establishment of a new organizational framework. Under this new structure, four major functions, product development, innovation, marketing, and brand communications, will be consolidated into a single department led by Valdes. The goal is to build a more cohesive and impactful brand narrative around Puma’s product offerings. Previously, brand marketing reported directly to CEO Arthur Hoeld, while the marketing division fell under the leadership of Chief Commercial Officer Matthias Bäumer.
With the new structure in place, Maria Valdes will oversee the unified department at the management board level, taking charge of brand marketing, product, creative direction, innovation, and go-to-market strategies. Valdes has been a member of the Puma Management Board since 2023.
Additionally, the sports marketing division will now operate independently from brand marketing and report directly to CEO Arthur Hoeld.
Following his appointment, Ronald Reijmers will be responsible for managing the development of both full-price and outlet stores globally, reporting to CCO Matthias Bäumer.
Ronald brings nearly 30 years of experience in the sportswear industry. Most recently, he served at Gymshark and previously held leadership roles in retail strategy and management at Nike and adidas.
This appointment is also part of Puma’s organizational overhaul, which separates direct-to-consumer operations into two dedicated areas: “Global Retail” and “Global E-commerce.” Erik Janshen, who previously oversaw both areas, has decided to leave the company to pursue new opportunities. Leadership changes for the global e-commerce division will be announced in the coming weeks.
Le Coq Sportif
French sportswear brand Le Coq Sportif has appointed Rodolphe Salasca as Chief Commercial Officer.
The appointment is intended to support the brand’s rebuilding efforts. In his new role, Salasca will focus on three key objectives: leading the overall commercial strategy, accelerating international business growth, and supporting the merchandising team in revamping the product offering to help the brand reconnect with its roots in sport and culture.
Rodolphe Salasca previously held positions at Nike, Vans, Boardriders, and Procter & Gamble.
In October 2024, Le Coq Sportif entered court-supervised restructuring proceedings and has since faced several months of uncertainty. In July, French entrepreneur Dan Mamane took over the brand.
Le Coq Sportif is still in the process of strengthening its leadership team and is currently hiring for a Merchandising Director.
Kappa
Italian sportswear brand Kappa has named Rémi Garnier as Chief Commercial Officer.
In his new role, Garnier will focus on strengthening relationships with existing market partners and identifying new growth opportunities. He will report directly to CEO Federico Trono.
Garnier most recently served as Head of the French market for Kappa, a role he assumed in 2023. He joined the brand in 2010 and has spent the past 15 years developing the business in France. He began by overseeing operations at Sport Finance, the licensed distributor of the Kappa brand in France. After the brand transitioned to direct management in 2019, Garnier became Kappa’s France Operations Director and was promoted the following year to Sales and Marketing Director. During this time, he managed key accounts in France and led partnerships with professional football and rugby clubs including Racing 92, Bordeaux, Monaco, Nice, and Metz.
As Head of the French market, Garnier also supported various strategic initiatives, including Kappa’s partnership with the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race and collaboration plans with the Alpine F1 team. Under his leadership, the brand has also expanded its lifestyle product categories.
Reebok
British heritage sportswear brand Reebok has appointed Marc Le Roux as CEO of its Europe division.
Le Roux, a seasoned executive with decades of experience in the athletic footwear industry, will succeed interim CEO Steve Robaire. Robaire will continue to play an active role in Reebok’s European operations as a board advisor to the brand’s regional operating partner, GB Brands.
Most recently, Marc Le Roux served as CEO of Groupe Royer. Prior to that, he spent over 15 years at adidas, holding several senior management positions across the Asia-Pacific and Greater China regions. Over the past three years, he has also been an investor and limited partner at the impact-focused venture capital fund Impactivist.
｜Source: Official press releases, Industry.fashion
｜Image Credit: Personal social media accounts
｜Editor: LeZhi
