Adidas has appointed former company executive Birgit Kretschmer to succeed Harm Ohlmeyer as chief financial officer, with her joining the executive board on 1 September 2026 before taking over the finance role at the end of the year following Ohlmeyer's decision not to extend his executive board mandate.

The company said Kretschmer returns after six years as chief financial officer at fashion retailer C&A, bringing more than 30 years of finance experience. She previously spent 25 years at Adidas in senior leadership roles including chief financial officer of Adidas International BV, chief financial officer of Western Europe and senior vice president of corporate and operations finance.

From 1 January 2027, the executive board will comprise chief executive Bjørn Gulden, Kretschmer, Michelle Robertson and Mathieu Sidokpohou.

Bjørn Gulden, chief executive of Adidas, said Kretschmer's experience inside and outside the business made her "the perfect CFO for the future". He added: "She knows the industry, she knows adidas and she has added the knowledge of cost discipline working as the CFO of a vertical retailer like C&A. I really look forward welcoming her back on our team."

Adidas said Ohlmeyer will step down after almost 30 years with the company, having served as chief financial officer since May 2017. During his career he held finance and sales positions before leading the company's e-commerce business in 2011, and later took on responsibility for supply chain and technology alongside his finance duties. The company said he worked with Gulden and the supervisory board on the succession plan and will remain an adviser during the transition.

Nassef Sawiris, chairman of the supervisory board, thanked Ohlmeyer for his contribution, saying his "strong financial expertise and broad operational experience" had been "crucial in steering our company through challenging periods and supporting the successful turnaround over the past years". He added that the board was "extremely happy" to appoint Kretschmer, describing her as "a very experienced candidate" who knows the company, its business and the wider industry.

The leadership change follows a strong financial performance for Adidas, with the sportswear group reporting second-quarter 2026 sales growth of 14 per cent to 6.74 billion euros, its highest quarterly net sales on record and above market expectations of 6.63 billion euros.

---