PUMA appoints new European leadership

Sports company PUMA has appointed new leadership for the Europe region as well as the Cluster Central.

Effective 1 October 2026, Fokko de Rooij will become Managing Director Europe. In this role, he will report to PUMA CEO Arthur Hoeld, who has temporarily taken over the duties of the Chief Commercial Officer until a successor for that position is announced.

Fokko is an experienced international leader with a strong track record in sales, retail, supply chain and transformation management, built through various senior leadership roles at Nike across EMEA, China and in the global team. In his most recent role as VP EMEA Sales at Nike, he managed to return the wholesale business back to growth through a strategic commercial reset. Since leaving the company in 2025, he has worked as an independent advisor to CEOs and boards in the sporting goods and fashion industry.

Daniel Pustina will become Managing Director Cluster Central with immediate effect, a role in which he will oversee the important European markets DACH, Benelux, Eastern Europe and Ukraine. Daniel has been with PUMA in various roles since 2020, most recently as Managing Director Oceania based in Melbourne. Before moving to Australia, he held several leadership roles covering DACH and Central Europe. In his new position he will report to Fokko.

“The European market is a key pillar for PUMA. That’s why I’m happy we have found two leaders to advance the business in line with our strategic priorities. With Fokko, we have found an internationally experienced leader with a successful track record of leading organisations through large-scale transformations,” said PUMA CEO Arthur Hoeld. “At the same time, Daniel is well positioned to drive PUMA’s commercial performance in the important Cluster Central, given his deep understanding of the central European market.”

The leadership of the two remaining European clusters South (France, Italy, Spain and Portugal) and North (United Kingdom and Ireland, Nordics) remains unchanged after today’s announcement. Both Christophe Cance (South) and Lucynda Davies (North) will also report to Fokko going forward.

“I’m very excited to continue my career in the sporting goods industry at PUMA,” added Fokko de Rooij. “I look forward to building on PUMA’s rich heritage and strong brand position to further accelerate the European business. Doing this as part of one of the strongest teams in the industry is a dream come true.”

Fokko replaces Javier Ortega while Daniel replaces Bas van den Bemt, both of whom have left the company this month.