PUMA has created a new Senior Vice President Creative Direction position and appointed a former adidas executive to lead it – signaling that coherent brand identity is now a strategic priority in the company’s top-3 global ambitions.
PUMA has appointed James Carnes as its new Senior Vice President (SVP) Creative Direction, with the role taking effect on April 13. The position is newly created and places Carnes directly below Chief Brand Officer (CBO) Maria Valdes, with responsibility spanning creative direction, innovation and product excellence across the Herzogenaurach-based company.
What the hire says about PUMA’s strategy
The company has publicly stated its goal of becoming a top-3 global sports brand, a target that implies closing a meaningful gap with Nike and adidas in both product credibility and consumer appeal. PUMA believes a stronger, more consistent creative identity is critical to that ambition. It also marks a significant shift in organisational structure: where creative direction previously fed into other functions, it now reports directly to the CBO as a standalone discipline.
From adidas to independent work – and now PUMA
Carnes built the core of his career at adidas, where he held senior roles in design, creative direction and strategy across the company’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach and its Portland, Oregon, hub. He departed adidas in 2021 and subsequently worked as an independent consultant and investor in the wider sporting goods sector. His profile combines a technical grounding in industrial design with hands-on commercial experience in both performance and lifestyle categories – a combination that aligns with the breadth of PUMA’s product portfolio.
A role built around brand coherence
In the newly created position, Carnes will be responsible for setting seasonal direction for PUMA’s business units, developing a long-term visual and aesthetic identity across consumer touchpoints, and aligning creative output with the company’s strategic goals.
