Footasylum taps Gymshark Global GM as new CEO

Footasylum has appointed Hannah Mercer as Chief Executive Officer, following previous CEO David Pujolar stepping down last month.

Effective from May, Mercer joins Footasylum from Gymshark, where she served as Global General Manager - Wholesale, Retail and Franchise for almost two years.

Prior to Gymshark, Mercer spent six years and four months at Adidas, culminating in the role of Global Vice President - Global Key Cities, having joined following over seven years at Nike in various director roles.

Earlier in her career, she also held senior leadership positions at Harrods, House of Fraser and Value Retail (Bicester Village), giving her over three decades of experience across premium, fashion, and sportswear retail.

Mercer’s appointment comes as Footasylum continues to execute its growth strategy, “focused on strengthening its differentiated streetwear proposition” and expanding its omnichannel capabilities.

Footasylum has also recently embarked on international expansion initiatives across the DACH and Gulf regions, and has continued with the opening of new and upsized stores across key UK locations. It has also expanded HSBC UK funding to support both the store roll-out programme and increased warehousing capacity.

Stephan Rahmede, senior representative of Aurelius WaterRise, who has been interim CEO at Footasylum since the exit of David Pujolar, said: “Hannah is a highly credible retail leader with experience building and scaling omnichannel brands across streetwear, sportswear, and premium retail.

“She combines strong commercial discipline with a clear understanding of how commercial excellence, category management, brand, and community drive engagement in our business.

“We are confident that she will further develop Footasylum’s customer experience as a leading athleisure fashion retailer. Aurelius is looking forward to working closely with her as Footasylum builds on its momentum and continues to scale.”

Mercer added: “Footasylum is a brand with a powerful identity, a highly engaged customer base, and a unique position in youth culture. I have long admired the business and the way it connects with its communities, and I am excited to work with the team to build on these solid foundations.

“With strong momentum across the business, I see significant opportunity for further growth, both in the UK and internationally.”