Bjorn Gulden

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Bjørn Gulden (born June 4, 1965) is a Norwegian businessman and former professional football player. He is the CEO of Adidas. He used to be the CEO of Puma and Pandora. He was Fortune's Businessperson of the Year in 2019.[1]

Early life and education[change | change source]

Gulden 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[change | change source]

Gulden started his football career for the Strømsgodset Toppfotball team. He later played for 1. FC Nürnberg for the 1984–85 2. Bundesliga season. He later joined Bryne FK.[3]

Business career[change | change source]

Gulden 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.[4]

He became CEO of Adidas on January 1, 2023, taking over Kasper Rørsted.[5]

Kanye West controversy[change | change source]

On the In Good Company podcast, Gulden defended Kanye West's comments caused the termination of Adidas Yeezy.[6] His comments were widely reported,[7] and he later "apologized for his misstatement."[8]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Warner, Bernhard. "Bjørn Gulden". Fortune (magazine). Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  2. ↑ "PUMA appoints Björn Gulden as new CEO". Kering. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  3. ↑ Nilsen, Jostein (2022-11-08). "Tidligere Godset-spiller blir ny toppsjef i Adidas". Drammens Tidende (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  4. ↑ "Bjørn Gulden: the 'chaotic' ex-footballer revamping Adidas". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  5. ↑ Backman, Melvin (2024-01-16). "Adidas CEO to 60,000 employees: Call me maybe". Quartz (publication). Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  6. ↑ "Adidas CEO: Kanye West didn't mean antisemitic remarks". Reuters. September 20, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  7. ↑ Chery, Samantha (September 20, 2023). "Adidas CEO says Kanye West didn't mean to attack Jews". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  8. ↑ Ray, Siladitya. "Adidas CEO Apologizes After Saying Kanye West Didn't Mean Antisemitic Comments". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-26.


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