Authentic Brands Group reshuffles leadership as it plans IPO

Authentic Brands Group, owner of Reebok, Ted Baker and GUESS, has announced a change in its leadership team, with plans to IPO within the next 12 months.

Authentic's founder, Jamie Salter, has transitioned from his role as Chief Executive Officer to Executive Chairman, while Matt Maddox, who joined the business in 2025 as President, will take on the role of CEO.

The restructuring will see Maddox, who spent 20 years at Wynn Resorts, including four as CEO, leading the company's day-to-day operations, with the mandate to scale the platform and drive organic growth. He will report to Salter, who will continue to work closely with the senior leadership team and focus on driving strategic global growth, including mergers and acquisitions.

Speaking on the transition in an interview with CNBC, Salter said that he expects the company to go public "sometime in the next 12 months", and that Maddox was well-placed to support the business in this next phase of growth. He added that the group almost went public twice before, but both times the company had been bought out by other private equity firms at higher prices.

"This is an exciting step for all of us at Authentic," said Salter. "I am energised by what lies ahead and as committed as ever to the future of this company. As Founder and Executive Chairman, I will continue to do what I’ve always done: being laser-focused on driving strategic, transformational opportunities that will position our peerless company for continued growth."

"Authentic has built one of the most powerful and differentiated global commerce platforms in the consumer ecosystem," added Maddox. "I look forward to working side by side with Jamie to build on that foundation and accelerate our growth. The opportunity ahead is significant and we are just getting started."

Authentic's global portfolio includes more than 50 brands and generates $38 billion (£28 billion) in system-wide retail sales. Recent reports show that the group still has an appetite for adding heritage brands to its portfolio. Just last week, Authentic reportedly began exploring the acquisition of Lee Jeans, which is being divested by its current owner, Kontoor Brands.

This is the second time this year that Authentic has been linked to a potential acquisition, with rumours in April suggesting it was looking into acquiring Converse.

In 2025, Authentic also acquired Dockers from Levi Strauss & Co. for $311 million (£232 million), after snapping up US heritage sportswear giant Champion in 2024, British heritage brand Hunter in 2023 and, in 2022, Reebok from Adidas.