For immediate release January 18, 2016
Kasper Rorsted to succeed Herbert Hainer as CEO of adidas AG
Herzogenaurach, Germany - At its meeting today, the Supervisory Board of adidas AG resolved upon the successor for the long-standing adidas CEO Herbert Hainer (61). Effective August 1, 2016, Kasper Rorsted (53) is appointed as ordinary member of the Executive Board and effective October 1, 2016 as CEO of adidas AG. As Kasper Rorsted will be able to assume his new office from this summer, Herbert Hainer has agreed to relinquish his Executive Board mandate effective September 30, 2016, prior to the expiry of his Executive Board service contract at the end of March 2017.
Kasper Rorsted is 53 years old, Danish-born and has headed up the German DAX company Henkel as CEO since 2008. Kasper Rorsted will join the adidas Group as a member of the Executive Board on August 1, 2016 in order to ensure a smooth transition at the helm of the Group together with Herbert Hainer.
"Kasper Rorsted is the perfect candidate to succeed Herbert Hainer as CEO of adidas AG. He has extensive international management experience, having held positions with high-calibre companies such as Oracle, Compaq and Hewlett Packard. For eight years, Kasper Rorsted has very successfully headed up Henkel, a DAX company that just like the adidas Group is known for its growth, internationality and sustainability," said Igor Landau, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of adidas AG. "Kasper Rorsted is a passionate runner, skier and football fan. Therefore I am convinced that, together with the top management of the adidas Group, he will continue the company's dynamic growth strategy and lead the adidas Group to new successes. The Supervisory Board looks forward to successfully working with Kasper Rorsted and the entire adidas AG Executive Board."
In addition, on behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, Igor Landau thanked Herbert Hainer, who will leave the company on September 30, 2016, for his achievements: "Herbert Hainer has done a tremendous job for the adidas Group. Under his leadership, adidas Group sales have tripled, net income and the number of employees have quadrupled, and the value of the company has increased from € 3 billion to € 18 billion. Yet it is not only the financial metrics that are notable: Under Herbert Hainer, the adidas Group has become one of the most sustainable corporations in Europe and one of the world's most attractive employers. For these outstanding achievements, he already today deserves the heartfelt gratitude of the Supervisory Board and all adidas Group employees. I am pleased that Herbert Hainer will continue this success story during his remaining term of office and that, together with his successor, he will ensure the best possible transition at the helm of adidas AG."
About the adidas Group
The adidas Group is a global leader in the sporting goods industry, offering a broad portfolio of footwear, apparel and hardware for sport and lifestyle around the core brands adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade and Reebok-CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany, the Group employs more than 54,000 people across the globe and generated sales of € 14.5 billion in 2014.
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