PUMA appoints Mark Langer as CFO to lead financial turnaround

PUMA SE has appointed Mark Langer as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and executive board member, with the hire effective May 1, 2026. Langer replaces Markus Neubrand, who stepped down from the CFO role on April 30 in what PUMA described as a mutual agreement. Neubrand will leave the company on Sept. 30, 2026.

Langer brings cross-sector transformation experience to Herzogenaurach

Langer, 57, arrives at PUMA having led financial strategy at two premium consumer brands — including one well outside the sporting goods industry. Most recently, he served as CFO and board member at Douglas AG, the European fragrance and beauty retail group, where he drove financial transformation initiatives and earnings growth. Prior to Douglas, Langer spent 17 years at Hugo Boss AG: first as CFO from 2010 to 2017, then as Chief Executive Officer from 2016 to 2020, guiding the premium fashion label through a period of sustained revenue and profit expansion. He began his career at McKinsey & Company and Procter & Gamble.

At PUMA, his remit will span finance, tax, legal, investor relations and internal audit.

Appointment targets investor confidence as PUMA pursues profitable growth

The hire positions PUMA’s finance leadership under an executive with listed-company experience across two restructuring cycles — at Douglas and at Hugo Boss — at a moment when the brand has made “returning to profitable growth” its stated priority. The choice of a finance chief with a CEO track record, rather than a pure accounting background, suggests the board is looking for someone who can engage capital markets as a strategic partner, not only as a reporting function.

PUMA’s five-person board takes effect May 1

From May 1, 2026, PUMA’s executive board will comprise Arthur Hoeld (Chief Executive Officer), Mark Langer (Chief Financial Officer), Maria Valdes (Chief Brand Officer), Matthias Baeumer (Chief Commercial Officer) and Andreas Hubert (Chief Operating Officer).