Puma SE will have a new structure for its Management Board this summer as the Supervisory Board of Puma has stirred up leadership positions after Arne Freundt, CEO of Puma SE, and member of the Supervisory Board, have mutually agreed that Freundt will step down as CEO on April 11, 2025. The company said the exit is “due to differing views on strategy execution and will leave the company after 14 years in various leading positions.”
As a result, the Supervisory Board as appointed Arthur Hoeld as chairman of the Management Board and CEO of Puma SE, effective July 1, 2025 (shown top right). Arne Freundt, CEO of Puma SE, and the Supervisory Board have mutually agreed that Arne will step down as CEO on April 11, 2025, due to differing views on strategy execution and will leave the company after 14 years in various leading positions.
Matthias Bäumer, VP of Puma’s Teamsport Business Unit, shown bottom right, has also been appointed as chief commercial officer (CCO) of Puma SE, effective April 1, 2025.
From April 12 until July 1, 2025, the Management Board will consist of Chief Product Officer Maria Valdes, CFO Markus Neubrand and CCO Matthias Bäumer. Effective July 1, 2025, Puma’s Management Board will include Hoeld, Neubrand, Valdes, and Bäumer.
Incoming CEO Arthur Hoeld was an Executive Board member at Adidas, responsible for global sales until October 2024. He joined Adidas in 1998 and held various leadership roles within the company, including marketing, brand strategy and management leadership of the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. He also “successfully transformed the Adidas Originals division to generate more than €7 billion in sales,” said Puma.
“I am incredibly excited to join the Puma family as their new CEO,” offered Hoeld. “Puma is one of the most authentic brands in our industry with an incredibly strong legacy. Their products worn by the best athletes created unforgettable moments. Sports authenticity and an exciting brand proposition will be our key focus in the future.”
Héloïse Temple-Boyer, Chair of the Supervisory Board of Puma SE, commented: “We are pleased to appoint Arthur Hoeld, a sports industry expert with a proven track-record and strong commercial expertise built over the last 26 years, as the new CEO of Puma. We are convinced that thanks to his strategic vision and focus on Product and Brand, Arthur will lead Puma into a new chapter of strength and growth.
“I would also like to thank Arne Freundt on behalf of the entire Supervisory Board for all of his achievements at Puma and commitment and dedication over 14 years. We wish him all the best for his future endeavors,” she continued.
“It was a privilege to lead this amazing company with its iconic brand and great employees and I am proud of the achievements reached together,” Freundt said. “I am confident in Puma’s future prospects and will cheer for the best team in the industry moving forward. I would like to thank the Supervisory Board and all employees for their trust and support over the past years.”
In his new role of Puma’s chief commercial officer, Matthias Bäumer will oversee the company’s sales subsidiaries, its global DTC and Go-to-Market organizations. Matthias has been with Puma since 2007 and most recently served as the VP of Puma’s fastest growing Global Business Unit, Teamsport. Until 2020, he was general manager of Central Europe, Puma’s home market. His successor as VP, Teamsport will be announced shortly.
“We are pleased to announce Matthias as a new member of Puma’s Management Board. Given his mature leadership experience and his deeply anchored sports industry knowledge, we are totally convinced that he will accelerate Puma’s growth momentum to strengthen its global business,” added Temple-Boyer.
“I am deeply honored to help driving Puma’s next chapter of sustainable growth,” said Bäumer. “I am also incredibly excited to embark with the amazing Puma family I have known so well for almost two decades on new initiatives that will further accelerate our momentum.”
