OrthoLite
American premium insole manufacturer OrthoLite has appointed Marius Wirtz as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective July 15.
OrthoLite’s founder and CEO Glenn Barrett has decided to step down, bringing to a close nearly three decades of leadership. Starting July 15, he will join parent company Coats Group as a Senior Advisor and member of the Group Executive Team. In the fourth quarter of 2025, Coats Group completed its acquisition of OrthoLite for £575 million.
Marius Wirtz previously worked at Covestro, a manufacturer of polymer materials and high-performance plastics that was spun off from Bayer in 2015, formerly known as Bayer MaterialScience. He spent more than 12 years at Covestro, most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Head of Supply Chain for Asia Pacific, as well as Managing Director of Covestro Hong Kong.
Prior to joining Covestro, he worked for 11 years at Bayer Group, primarily in Asia Pacific management roles, ultimately serving as Head of the Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) business for the Asia Pacific region.
Wirtz will be based in Hong Kong and will report to Pasquale Abruzzese, CEO of Footwear at Coats Group and Group Chief Operating Officer.
Founded in 1997, OrthoLite holds approximately 36% of the global open-cell foam insole market and supplies more than 500 million pairs of insoles annually to around 550 brand clients worldwide.
Above: Marius Wirtz
SoulCycle
American indoor cycling fitness chain SoulCycle CEO Evelyn Webster is set to step down.
Evelyn Webster became CEO of SoulCycle in 2020, leading the brand through the challenges of the pandemic period.
Before joining SoulCycle, she worked primarily in the media industry, serving as CEO of Guardian News & Media International under The Guardian, and previously as Executive Vice President and Group President at Time Inc.. Following her departure, she will return to the media sector.
SoulCycle has not yet announced a successor or disclosed whether a search process has begun.
SoulCycle was founded in 2006 by close friends Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler. From the outset, the brand positioned itself as a premium fitness studio, choosing not to emulate traditional fitness brands but instead drawing inspiration from Apple’s business model and product philosophy. With its highly engaging classes, SoulCycle rapidly swept the U.S. fitness market, becoming one of the most popular indoor cycling chains in the country.
SoulCycle currently operates in more than 20 markets across the United States and the United Kingdom, covering major metropolitan areas including New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, and London.
Aquascutum Active
British trench coat brand Aquascutum’s sportswear sub-brand Aquascutum Active has officially appointed Alessandro Pungetti as its first Creative Director.
Alessandro Pungetti will take full control of the brand’s overall creative direction and visual identity system. He will begin his role with the Spring/Summer 2027 collection, with a future focus on product innovation, fabric development, and functional design.
An experienced Italian designer, Pungetti spent 25 years at C.P. Company, where he served as runway director for both menswear and womenswear collections and oversaw complete menswear design. During this period, he also collaborated with brands including Stone Island, MOSCHINO, and Ten C, working across both menswear and womenswear design. He previously collaborated with Aquascutum Active on the Autumn/Winter 2026–27 collection.
Intersport
Swiss sporting goods retailer Intersport has promoted Stephan Schwarz to Chief Strategic Brand Partnerships Officer.
Stephan Schwarz has worked at Intersport for nearly three decades. He previously led Intersport Switzerland and has been involved in multiple areas including product strategy, category management, and strategic branding. His most recent role was General Manager of Category Management.
In his new role, he will be responsible for accelerating decision-making processes, improving business partnerships, and strengthening support for national subsidiaries.
Stephan Schwarz also becomes the fourth member of Intersport Group’s senior management team, joining CEO Tom Foley, CFO Christian Wille, and Chief Commercial Officer Pierre Irelli.
| Source: official announcements, executives’ LinkedIn accounts, athletechnews, sgbonline
| Image Credit: executives’ LinkedIn accounts
| Editor: Luxeplace
