German Sportswear giant PUMA has announced Arthur Hoeld, a 26-year adidas veteran, as its new, incoming CEO. The brand is parting ways with its current chief executive, Arne Freundt, “due to differing views on strategy execution and will leave the company after 14 years in various leading positions”, it says, adding that the decision was arrived at “mutually” and confirming that Arne will step down on April 11, 2025.
Hoeld is set to make the short trip over from adidas’ global campus at Adi-Dassler-Straße 1, to his new office at Puma Way 1, home to PUMA’s world headquarters, where he’ll begin his new role as “Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of PUMA SE” on July 1, 2025 – a leisurely 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) stroll through the winding village roads of Herzogenaurach.
He arrives at PUMA having most recently served on adidas’ executive board as its head of its global sales, a position he began shortly after the brand publicly announced in early 2023 that it had reached an agreement with Kanye West to sell $500 million USD worth of remaining adidas YEEZY inventory. Prior to this, Hoeld was in charge of adidas’ entire business in Europe, a position he held for two years before receiving a promotion that added the brand’s interests in the Middle East and Africa to his remit for a further two years. Between 2014 and 2016, Hoeld was the General Manager of adidas Originals and managed the teams responsible for bringing new models like the ZX Flux and NMD to market, as well as the famous relaunch of the Stan Smith sneaker after many years being off-shelf. During this time he also oversaw the brand’s many seminal lifestyle collaborations with culturally relevant brands and figures that included Raf Simons, Palace, Pharrell Williams and Kanye West.
Héloïse Temple-Boyer, Chair of the Supervisory Board at PUMA, said: “We are pleased to appoint Arthur Hoeld, a sports industry expert with a proven track-record and strong commercial expertise built over the last 26 years, as the new CEO of PUMA,” and added that “we are convinced that thanks to his strategic vision and focus on Product and Brand, Arthur will lead PUMA into a new chapter of strength and growth.”
PUMA’s move to scoop a member of its oldest rival’s C-suite is bold – even if the two brands are commonly known for trading staff. Commenting on the appointment on LinkedIn, former General Manager of YEEZY, Jim Anfuso, said: “Puma just scored!!!!!”
Hoeld’s new tenure should be interesting to watch. Stay tuned for more.
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