Puma Taps Adidas Alum James Carnes to Lead Creative Direction

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“James is simply a precise highly regarded person successful our industry, and helium has been instrumental successful shaping immoderate of the astir influential show and manner products, labels, and platforms,” Valdes said successful a statement. “With a beardown inheritance successful concern plan and a heavy knowing of some athletes and consumers, helium volition play an important relation successful getting our customers and consumers excited astir Puma erstwhile again.”

Carnes joins Puma aft moving arsenic an autarkic advisor and capitalist successful the wider footwear manufacture since 2021. Prior to that, Carnes spent astir 20 years astatine Adidas wherever helium held respective enactment positions successful design, originative absorption and strategy. Previous roles astatine Adidas included vice president of planetary marque strategy and sustainability arsenic good arsenic elder vice president of planetary plan and originative manager of athletics performance.

“Creative absorption is astir much than seasonal trends and colors,” Carnes added. “It is astir defining however Puma holistically presents itself successful the market, harnessing the company’s portfolio of satellite people innovation, and profoundly connecting with consumers. We person the astonishing accidental to modernize the representation and benignant of 1 of the astir iconic sports brands successful the satellite and I look guardant to starring our teams and collaborating with my colleagues to marque this happen.”

Carnes’ assignment follows Puma’s caller determination successful October to enactment marque marketing, product, originative direction, innovation and go-to-market into a azygous planetary enactment led by Valdes. Puma noted astatine the clip of the determination that the restructure was aimed astatine enabling “stronger and much consistent” storytelling for its products.

All of these moves travel arsenic the marque looks to refuel excitement crossed the business. In February, the institution logged a Q4 income driblet of 20.1 percent, currency adjusted, to 1.56 cardinal euros.