Puma taps ex-Adidas VP as new creative lead as competition heats up

Puma has tapped former Adidas VP of Global Brand Strategy, James Carnes, to lead its creative direction as it aims to establish itself as a top-three global sports brand.

Carnes has stepped into the newly created role of Senior Vice President of Creative Direction, where he will directly oversee creative direction, innovation, and product excellence - reporting directly to Chief Brand Officer Maria Valdes.

At Puma, Carnes is tasked with aligning creative direction with the company’s overall strategic ambitions, ensuring that its brand identity is consistent across consumer touchpoints.

He brings over twenty years of experience in the wider sports industry to his new role, both in-house at Adidas, where he spent 19 years, and as an independent consultant and investor in the wider sportswear industry.

"James is a very highly regarded leader in our industry and he has been instrumental in shaping some of the most influential performance and lifestyle products, labels, and platforms," said Valdes.

"With a strong background in industrial design and a deep understanding of both athletes and consumers, he will play an important role in getting our customers and consumers excited about Puma once again."

James Carnes added: "Creative Direction is about more than seasonal trends and colours. It is about defining how Puma holistically presents itself in the market, harnessing the company’s portfolio of world class innovation, and deeply connecting with consumers."

"We have the amazing opportunity to modernize the image and style of one of the most iconic sports brands in the world and I look forward to leading our teams and collaborating with my colleagues to make this happen."

The appointment comes as competition in the sportswear industry is heating up, with rivals Adidas and Nike betting on high-profile collaborations to drive consumer demand.

The hotly anticipated Adidas collaboration with reality TV star Molly-Mae Hague, which launched on 9 April, has seen demand surge by 51% at JD. This also had a positive knock-on effect across the brand’s other footwear styles, with search terms including ‘Superstar’ growing by 58% over the seven days leading up to the launch.

Nike, meanwhile, has been ramping up its collaboration with Kim Kardashian's shapewear and underwear brand SKIMS, which opened its most ambitious collection to date in a pop-up on the fifth floor of Selfridges in the first three months of the year.

In March, Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group took a 5.77% stake in Puma, adding another twist to the ownership of the German sportswear giant as it attempts to bounce back from a record €645 million net loss in 2025 and a 13% slide in annual sales.