In view of the weak 2022 financial year and cautious prospects for the near future, the German sporting goods supplier Adidas AG is making a fresh start. After the recent disappointments, the aim is to “rebuild a unique Adidas business model,” announced CEO Bjørn Gulden, who has been in charge of the group since the beginning of the year, at the presentation of the current results on Wednesday.
At the same time, the sports goods company announced the first changes in the management team. According to this, the two industry veterans Roland Auschel and Brian Grevy, whose contracts were extended long-term only last year, are leaving the board at the end of the month.
Arthur Hoeld takes over from Auschel
Auschel, who was most recently responsible for global sales, will “resign from his position, hand over the baton and leave the company after 33 years – ten of them as a board member,” Adidas said in a statement.
His successor was found internally. Arthur Hoeld, who has been with the company for 25 years and has served as Managing Director of the EMEA region, which includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa, since 2018, will take over from Auschel’s current role on April 1.
CEO Gulden will head up the Global Brands division
Brian Grevy, who heads the Global Brands department on the Executive Board, is also about to say goodbye. He had “approved the termination of his appointment as a member of the Board of Management effective March 31, 2023,” the group announced. CEO Gulden will take over Grevy’s previous area of responsibility in addition to his previous duties. “In this role, Gulden will lead the company’s product and marketing activities to ensure the necessary rapid decisions across all business units and departments,” explained Adidas.
In the course of his career, Grevy had already held various management positions in the group from 1999 to 2016. After a stint at the fashion brand Gant, he returned to Herzogenaurach in 2020 and became a member of the Adidas board.
CFO Ohlmeyer receives contract extension
However, there is continuity in the position of Chief Financial Officer. The appointment of Harm Ohlmeyer, who has been Chief Financial Officer (CFO) since May 2017, has been extended by the Supervisory Board “by a further three years until the beginning of 2028”, the group explained.
CEO Gulden welcomed the continuation of the cooperation. “I have known Harm for many years. We worked together at Adidas back in the 1990s. Harm has exactly the knowledge, experience and attitude that we need to be successful again in the future,” emphasized the CEO in a statement. “I’m really looking forward to working with him to make Adidas the best sports brand in the world again.”