BERLIN: adidas AG announced Monday that its global brands director and executive board member Eric Liedtke, who helped guide the German sportswear maker’s turnaround in recent years, will depart December 31.
Liedtke was instrumental in developing adidas’ current strategic business plan ‘Creating the New’ that spans the years 2016 to 2020. He also launched adidas’ unique partnership with Parley for the Oceans to prevent plastic waste and grew successful open-source collaborations with global influencers such as Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Beyoncé.
Liedtke, the highest-ranking American at the company, was widely regarded as adidas’ co-number two and, along with global sales director Roland Auschel, considered a possible CEO candidate, Wall Street Journal reports.
Replacing Liedtke, who has been with adidas for 25 years in various capacities, is former adidas executive Brian Grevy.
Grevy, a Danish citizen, returns to adidas from global clothing brand Gant, where he has held the position of CEO since June 2018 and was chief marketing officer from 2016 to 2018. At adidas, Grevy led adidas’ largest business unit Training as general manager from 2014 to 2016 based at the adidas AG Headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
Grevy started his professional career at adidas in 1998 as Key Account manager, Reebok Nordics, in Denmark and subsequently held leadership positions of increasing responsibility for adidas on a local, regional and global level.
Igor Landau, chairman of the supervisory board of adidas AG, stated: “On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I would like to congratulate Eric Liedtke on a remarkable career at our company and thank him for his vision, leadership and the many contributions he has made to the success of adidas in the last 25 years. Most recently, Eric Liedtke played a key role in developing and implementing ‘Creating the New’, our long-term strategic business plan that has led to dynamic top- and bottom-line growth for the company since its start in 2016.”
adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted said: “Eric Liedtke has done a great job in positioning adidas as the creator sports brand. I can only praise his marketing expertise, his unrivaled passion for our brands and his commitment to sustainability. Together with all adidas employees, I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Eric and wish him all the best for his future endeavors.”
Liedtke stated: “adidas has been my professional home for more than 25 years. Now it’s time to move on to pursue new projects and ventures. It has always been a true honor for me to serve this fantastic company. I am proud about what we have achieved together as a team and I am grateful that I could work together with so many incredible people from around the world who share the love for our brands. Thank you, everyone, it’s been a great ride.”
Speaking about Grevy’s immediate mandate, Landau said: “One of his first priorities will be to develop the adidas strategy beyond 2020 together with his executive board colleagues. I am convinced that he and his team will lead adidas and Reebok to continued and sustainable success in the next strategic cycle and beyond.”
