The Adidas Group is replacing its managing directors in France, Iberia and Italy, as part of a management reshuffle that saw these three executives assume more international functions while the group's European structure has been streamlined.
Under the latest structure, which has just become effective, the Adidas Group's business has been split into just two clusters instead of four in Western Europe – a regional unit with a somewhat misleading name since it encompasses countries as far east as Romania. Gavin Thomson has been appointed as senior vice president in charge of Region West, meaning that the country managers of France, Iberia and the Nordics will report to him, while he continues as managing director for the U.K., Ireland and the Benelux countries. Sven Moser is in charge in the Nordics, but the new country managers for France and Iberia have yet to be announced.
Winand Krawinkel has been appointed as senior vice president in charge of Region East. He continues to lead the Adidas Group in Central Europe, and three other managers are reporting to him: the country manager to be appointed for Italy, Peter Virsik for the Central Europe East area, and Christian Stegmaier for South East Europe.
Thomson and Krawinkel will both report to Alain Pourcelot, who became managing director for Western Europe. As previously reported, Pourcelot is taking over from Gil Steyaert, who led remarkable growth for the Adidas Group in Europe in the last years and became board member in charge of global operations, taking over from Glenn Bennett.
Guillaume de Monplanet, general manager for the Adidas Group in France for nearly three years, has become senior vice president of the company's direct-to-consumer business in Western Europe. He reports to Pourcelot, who held this function himself until his appointment as regional chief.
Nigel Griffiths, formerly in charge of Iberia, has become senior vice president of global sales, a new function reporting to Roland Auschel, board member in charge of global sales.
Andreas Gellner, who spent the last three years as managing director for the South Europe area, based in Italy, has become senior vice president of finance for Western Europe, reporting to Pourcelot. Birgit Kretschmer, who previously held this function, was appointed to a global finance position, reporting to the group's chief financial officer, Harm Ohlmeyer.
The Adidas Group previously operated with four clusters in Western Europe. Thomson was in charge of the U.K., Ireland and Benelux countries, while Griffiths supervised Iberia and France, forming the South West cluster, Krawinkel was heading up the Central cluster, with the German-speaking countries along with the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Baltics, and Gellner supervising the South East cluster, including Italy, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria.
Separately, the group has yet to appoint a replacement for Martin Shankland, former managing director in Russia and the CIS countries, who switched to the Emerging Markets due to the retirement of Osman Ayaz.
