Bjørn Gulden (born 4 June 1965) is a Norwegian businessman and former professional football player. Since January 2023, he has been the CEO of Adidas. Previously, he used to be the CEO of Puma and Pandora. He was Fortune's Businessperson of the Year in 2019.[1]
Bjørn Gulden | |
|---|---|
 Bjørn Gulden at the German Women Football Team National Day | |
| Born | Bjørn Gulden June 4, 1965 |
| Nationality | Norway |
| Education | University of Stavanger Babson College |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Years active | 2023–present (at Adidas) |
| Title | CEO of Adidas (2023–present) |
| Children | Henrik Gulden Noah Gulden Scott Gulden |
| Parent | Arild Gulden |
| Website | adidas.com |
Early life and education
editGulden was born in Zurich, Switzerland. He earned a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Stavanger and a Master of Business Administration from Babson College.[2]
Football career
editGulden grew up in Hallingdal and is the son of Arild Gulden, a former Norwegian national football and handball player. He is father of Henrik Gulden, Noah Gulden and Scott Gulden.
In his younger years, Bjørn played for the clubs Geilo and Gol, before he went to the Strømsgodset Toppfotball team in 1983.[3]
He turned professional in 1984, playing for 1. FC Nürnberg for the 1984–85 2. Bundesliga season. In 1986, he joined Bryne FK winning the cup championship in 1987.[4] He retired in 1988 due to a knee injury.[5]
Business career
editGulden began his career at Adidas in 1992 until 1999, when he became an executive at Helly Hansen. In 2000, he became the managing director of Deichmann SE and was CEO of Deichmann's U.S. subsidiary Rack Room Shoes. Between 2012 and 2013, he served as the CEO of Pandora, a Danish jewelry brand, and remained a board member until 2018. In 2013, he became CEO of German design corporation Puma.[6]
He became CEO of Adidas on 1 January 2023, taking over Kasper Rørsted.[7]
Memberships
editGulden serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Salling Group A/S and is a member of the Supervisory Board of Tchibo GmbH.[8]
References
edit- ^ Warner, Bernhard. "Bjørn Gulden". Fortune (magazine). Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "PUMA appoints Björn Gulden as new CEO". Kering. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Bjørn Gulden". godset.no. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ^ Nilsen, Jostein (8 November 2022). "Tidligere Godset-spiller blir ny toppsjef i Adidas". Drammens Tidende (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Bjørn Gulden: the 'chaotic' ex-footballer revamping Adidas". www.ft.com. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ "Bjørn Gulden: the 'chaotic' ex-footballer revamping Adidas". www.ft.com. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ Backman, Melvin (16 January 2024). "Adidas CEO to 60,000 employees: Call me maybe". Quartz (publication). Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Governance". www.sallinggroup.com. Retrieved 30 October 2024.