Under Armour has restructured its international management to appoint three regional directors and expand its head office for Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong, as part of the group's plans to drive its international sales.
The changes widen the remit of Massimo Baratto, the former chief executive of the Oberalp Group, who joined Under Armour in May to supervise its European business. Under the latest structure, Baratto has taken over as managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), based in Amsterdam.
His counterpart in Asia-Pacific is Jason Archer, who will directly supervise operations in Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea, among other countries. He has already been with the company for six years, working in international finance and operations. In 2016 he became vice president and managing director, primarily to supervise Under Armour's business in Latin America. That's where he spent eleven years with the Adidas Group prior to his move to Under Armour.
Erick Haskell, who switched from the Adidas Group to Under Armour as managing director for Greater China three years ago, is leaving the company. He has been appointed as president of international business at Allbirds, a young company from San Francisco selling footwear made with more sustainable materials, including wool and eucalyptus tree.
Manuel Ovalle has been appointed as managing director for Latin America. He joined Under Armour in 2013 and was credited with a key role in driving the company's strong performance in the southern cone of Latin America. In his latest position he will be based in Panama to supervise the company's business throughout Latin America, including Mexico. Ovalle is another executive who joined from Adidas, where he spent nearly 20 years in Latin America.
All of this comes a few months after it was announced that Charlie Maurath, chief revenue officer, was retiring in March. Maurath himself rose to prominence in the international sporting goods industry as the regional chief for Adidas in Latin America. Under his tenure, the share of Under Armour's international sales increased from 6.3 percent in 2012 to 22 percent in 2017.
Jason LaRose remains in charge of the group's largest regional business, in North America, which he has led since 2016. He joined Under Armour three years earlier to lead its global online retailing business, and he became senior vice president of digital revenue in 2015. All four of the regional leaders report directly to Patrik Frisk, Under Armour president and chief operating officer.
