Upheaval at Herzogenaurach
Uncoordinated statements from Germany-based sports groups Puma and adidas on November 4 appear to put a new complexion on their long rivalry.
The statements disclosed first that Bjørn Gulden will not continue as chief executive of Puma when his current contract expires at the end of 2022. Puma wasted no time in naming a successor, saying its chief commercial officer, Arne Freundt, would become its chief executive on January 1.
All Bjørn Gulden said was that he had led Puma for nine years, that he still had a lot of energy and wanted to continue in an operational role for another five or even ten years. “I think that would have been too long for Puma,” he said.
That same day, though, rival group adidas, based in the same town in Bavaria, Herzogenaurach, issued a brief statement of its own. It said: “Adidas confirms that it is in talks with Bjørn Gulden as a potential successor to adidas chief executive, Kasper Rorsted.”
Mr Rorsted became adidas chief executive in 2016, but the company announced in August that he would step down in the course of 2023, with the current incumbent staying in post until a new chief executive starts.
Matters took a further twist on November 8. Adidas confirmed that it was appointing Bjørn Gulden as its new chief executive, with a January 1 start-date. It said Kasper Rorsted would wait out the week but would step down on November 11. Chief finance officer, Harm Ohlmeyer, will lead adidas on an interim basis until December 31.
In parallel, Puma announced that Mr Gulden’s replacement as chief executive there, Arne Freundt, would assume his new responsibilities with immediate effect.
Image shows Bjørn Gulden at Puma.
