Adidas Exec Martin Shankland steps down after 27 years

Adidas has today announced that Martin Shankland, Executive Board member for Global Operations, will exit the company after 27 years.

In mutual agreement with Martin Shankland, the Supervisory Board approved the termination of his appointment as an Executive Board member as of 10 August.

Thomas Rabe, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Adidas AG, said: "On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I would like to congratulate Martin on his career at our company and thank him for his passion, commitment, and leadership throughout the past 27 years. We wish him all the best for his future endeavours."

Shankland joined Adidas Russia/CIS in 1997. During his tenure as Managing Director, he established Adidas Russia/CIS as the market leader through the creation of a strong direct-to-consumer business.

In 2017, he took on the job to lead Adidas' Emerging Markets region and later joined the Executive Board in 2019. Here he had the responsibility for product operations, sourcing and supply chain as well as tech, data & analytics, non-trade-procurement and sustainability. He led major transformation initiatives, including creating a more responsive, transparent and sustainable supply chain.

Hoa Ly, SVP Sourcing, will have responsibility for all sourcing operations at Adidas reporting to CEO Bjørn Gulden. CFO Harm Ohlmeyer will assume additional responsibility for the supply chain and tech.

As of 11 August the company’s new Executive Board will consist of Bjørn Gulden (Chief Executive Officer, Global Brands), Arthur Hoeld (Global Sales), Harm Ohlmeyer (Chief Financial Officer) and Michelle Robertson (Global Human Resources, People and Culture).

This announcement comes after last week's news that Adidas raised its profit guidance following “improved sentiment” for the label. Brand momentum drove double-digit top-line growth in the second quarter of 2024, with an operating profit of €346 million compared to €176 million last year.