Felicia Enderes
Published September 9, 2026Reading time
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Puma recruits Nike executive as new head of sports marketing
Felicia Enderes
Published
September 9, 2026
Puma is reshaping the leadership of its sports marketing division. Steve Cecchini will assume the role of senior vice president, sports marketing, on October 1, 2026, reporting directly to CEO Arthur Höld. The appointment follows the departure of Johan Adamsson, who left Puma at the end of August after more than 25 years for personal reasons. In the interim, Höld had served as acting head of sports marketing.
In his new role, Cecchini will further develop Puma’s sports marketing organisation and build and manage partnerships that reflect the company’s brand identity. The focus will be on working with athletes, teams, and federations to bring the brand to life globally and strengthen its position in sport.
“Our partnerships with athletes, teams and federations are central to who we are as a brand,” said Puma CEO Arthur Höld. He is confident that Cecchini will develop the sports marketing portfolio strategically and proactively, ensuring strong visibility for Puma and its performance products. At the same time, he is expected to help position Puma clearly as one of the world’s top three sports brands.
Cecchini joins from Nike, where he most recently served as general manager, global football clubs, federations, leagues, and partnerships. In this role, he was responsible for complex, long-term partnerships and also developed and implemented the product, marketing and market strategy for this business unit. Previously, he held various roles in strategy and business development at Nike and PVH Corp.
“Puma has an impressive track record of working with the world’s best athletes. It is therefore a fantastic opportunity for me to take on this new role and write the next chapter,” said Cecchini.
In the second quarter, the sportswear manufacturer recorded a decline in revenue of just under 10% to around 1.7 billion euros. This performance was weighed down by the realignment of the business and weaker demand. The adjusted EBIT loss was 41.9 million euros. For the full year, Puma expects a currency-adjusted decline in revenue in the low- to mid-single-digit percentage range and an EBIT loss of between 50 million and 150 million euros.
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