Highly-Skilled Bjorn Gulden Leaves Puma to Lead Adidas Back to Glory

Adidas announced that Bjørn Gulden will take over as CEO on 1 January 2023, after leading a successful Puma rerival. The announcement should help to stabilize financial markets’ perception of Adidas, given Gulden’s leadership at the brand as senior vice president of apparel and accessories in the 1990s,.

“We are very pleased to welcome Bjørn Gulden back at Adidas. [He] 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,” said Thomas Rabe, chairman of the supervisory board. “Bjørn already served Adidas successfully for seven years in the 1990s. As CEO of Puma, he reinvigorated the brand and led the company to record results. The supervisory board of Adidas is convinced that Bjørn will head Adidas into a new era of strength and is looking very much forward to a successful cooperation.”

The Norwegian sportswear executive also used to be a professional football and handball player.