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The German sportswear giant Adidas has appointed Bjørn Gulden as the new Chief Executive Officer for the label. Gulden, who formerly served as Puma’s CEO, will take the reigns from Kasper Rorsted. He will be heading Adidas AG from January 2023.
Kasper Rorsted, who has been Adidas' CEO since 2016, decided to leave the label in August 2022 and will officially leave the position on November 11, 2022. The label will be headed by Chief Financial Officer Harm Ohlmeyer until January 2023. Following this, Gulden will be taking the helm of the company shortly.
The new CEO of Adidas, Bjørn Gulden, used to work for rival sportswear brand Puma
Born on June 4, 1965, Bjørn is the son of Arild Gulden, a former international handball and football player. He has served as Chief Executive Officer of Puma since 2013, having spent a tenure at Adidas as the Senior Vice President of Apparel and Accessories from 1992 to 1999.
In addition, Gulden used to be the CEO of the Danish jewelry brand Pandora in 2012. He had also been the Managing Director of Europe's largest footwear retailer, Deichmann, from 2000 to 2011, where he headed the subsidiaries such as Off Broadway Shoes and Rack Room Shoes.
Before 2000, he also headed several management positions at the outdoor apparel company Helly Hansen. Like his father, Gulden used to be a professional handball and football player. He played football for FC Nürnberg in Germany and Bundesliga in the Norwegian Premier League. Additionally, he played handball for Haslum in Norway's first league.
In an official press release, Thomas Rabe, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Adidas, announced the welcome of Bjørn Gulden by stating:
“We are very pleased to welcome Bjørn Gulden back at adidas. Bjørn Gulden brings almost 30 years of experience in the sporting goods and footwear industry. As a result, he knows the industry extremely well and draws on a rich network in sport and retail."
Rabe further talked about the latter's success at Puma, adding:
"Bjørn Gulden already served adidas successfully for seven years in the 1990s. As CEO of Puma, he re-invigorated the brand and led the company to record results. The Supervisory Board of Adidas AG is convinced that Bjørn Gulden will head adidas into a new era of strength and is looking very much forward to a successful cooperation."
Aside from being a professional athlete, Gulden studied Business Administration in Norway and obtained an MBA degree from Babson Graduate School of Business in Boston, America.
Gulden is fluent in multiple languages, including English, German, and Norwegian.
In other news, with Bjørn heading to Adidas, Puma is also appointing Arne Freundt as their new CEO.
