German sportswear giant Puma on Thursday named Bjoern Gulden, a former professional footballer and top manager at rival Adidas, as its new chief executive. "The administrative board of Puma today appointed Bjoern Gulden, 47, as the sports and lifestyle company's new CEO, effective July 1. He succeeds Franz Koch who left the company at the end of March," the company said in a statement.
Norwegian-born Gulden - who played among others for German Bundesliga club 1. FC Nuernberg - had "extensive international experience of nearly 20 years in the sporting goods and footwear industry, where he held a variety of management positions," Puma said. He was chief executive of Danish jewellery brand Pandora since the beginning of 2012.