Adidas appointed new managing directors for Western Europe and Emerging Markets. Following the appointment of Gil Steyaert as executive board member responsible for global operations, Alain Pourcelot will succeed Gil Steyaert in the role of managing director Western Europe with immediate effect.
Effective October 1, 2017, Martin Shankland will take over as managing director Emerging Markets, succeeding Osman Ayaz who has decided to retire at the end of this year. Both Alain Pourcelot and Martin Shankland will report directly to Roland Auschel, executive board member of Adidas AG, responsible for global sales.
“We are very pleased to fill these key positions with excellent internal candidates, continuing the transition to our next generation of leaders,” said Auschel. “Both Alain Pourcelot and Martin Shankland have a strong track record with Adidas. I look forward to executing our strategy ‘Creating the New’ together with Martin and Alain.”
Alain Pourcelot (French, 51) joined Adidas in 2005 as marketing director for Adidas France. From 2012 to 2015, he led the Adidas organization in France as managing director. Since 2015, Alain Pourcelot has held the position of senior vice president direct-to-consumer (DTC) in Western Europe. Alain Pourcelot is married and has two children. He is an avid athlete and a former French national champion in swimming.
Martin Shankland (Australian, 45) initially joined Adidas Russia in 1997 as CFO. For the past 17 years, he has served as managing director for Adidas in Russia/CIS. Under his leadership, Adidas’ business in Russia/CIS first grew exponentially and then remained steady despite challenging market conditions during the last few years. Martin Shankland is married with two sons and participates in triathlons.
Photo courtesy Adidas
