Adidas appoints new MDs for West Europe & emerging markets

Adidas AG has hired Alain Pourcelot as the new managing director (MD) for Western Europe, succeeding Gil Steyaert, who has been appointed as the new executive board member for global operations. Effective October 1, Martin Shankland will take over as MD emerging markets, succeeding Osman Ayaz who has decided to retire at the end of the year.

Both Pourcelot and Shankland will report directly to Roland Auschel, executive board member of Adidas, responsible for global sales.

Pourcelot joined Adidas in 2005 as MD for Adidas France. He led the company in France as MD from 2012-2015. Since 2015, he has held the position of senior vice president Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) in Western Europe.

Shankland initially joined Adidas Russia in 1997 as CFO. He has served as MD for Adidas in Russia/CIS for the past 17 years. Under his leadership, Adidas’ business in Russia/CIS grew exponentially and remained steady despite challenging market conditions during the last few years.

Commenting on the occasion, Auschel said, "We are very pleased to fill these key positions with excellent internal candidates, continuing the transition to our next generation of leaders. Both Pourcelot and Shankland have a strong track record with Adidas. I look forward to executing our strategy ‘Creating the New’ together with Martin and Alain." (PA)