PUMA Announces Former adidas Executive, Arthur Hoeld, as New CEO

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Puma, a prominent German sports brand, has revealed Arthur Hoeld as its upcoming CEO, who previously spent 26 years with adidas. The company is saying goodbye to its current CEO, Arne Freundt, because of disagreements regarding strategic implementation and plans to depart from the company after holding key positions for 14 years, starting from now until April 11, 2025. This decision was made jointly, and it’s confirmed that Arne will step down by that date.

On July 1, 2025, Hold will embark on a relaxing 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) walk from adidas’ global campus located at Adi-Dassler-Straße 1, to his new workplace at Puma Way 1, the base of PUMA’s worldwide headquarters. Here, he will commence his new position as “Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of PUMA SE”. This leisurely journey takes him through the picturesque, winding village roads of Herzogenaurach.

Most recently, Hoeld joined PUMA after serving as the head of global sales on adidas’ executive board. This role began shortly following the announcement in early 2023 that adidas had reached an agreement with Kanye West to sell $500 million USD worth of remaining YEEZY inventory. Prior to this, he led adidas’ entire European business for two years and was later promoted to manage their interests in the Middle East and Africa for another two years. Between 2014 and 2016, Hoeld served as the General Manager of adidas Originals, where he oversaw teams that launched new models such as the ZX Flux and NMD, as well as the relaunch of the Stan Smith sneaker after several years off the market. During this time, he also supervised adidas’ numerous influential lifestyle collaborations with brands like Raf Simons, Palace, Pharrell Williams, and Kanye West.

Héloïse Temple-Boyer, head of the board at PUMA, announced: “We’re thrilled to welcome Arthur Hoeld, a seasoned sports industry professional with an impressive background and commercial acumen honed over the past 26 years, as our new CEO at PUMA.” Furthermore, she expressed confidence that “with his strategic mindset and emphasis on Product and Brand development, Arthur will guide PUMA towards a period of increased power and expansion.

PUMA’s decision to hire a high-level executive from one of its longest-standing competitors is daring, given that both brands are known for frequently swapping employees. On LinkedIn, Jim Anfuso, former General Manager of YEEZY, expressed his excitement about the move by saying: “PUMA has made a touchdown!!!

Hoeld’s new tenure should be interesting to watch. Stay tuned for more.

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2025-04-09 17:26