Bjørn Gulden

Bjørn Gulden
Bjørn Gulden at the German Women Football Team National Day
Born
Bjørn Gulden

(1965-06-04) June 4, 1965 (age 59)
Zurich, Switzerland
NationalityNorway
EducationUniversity of Stavanger
Babson College
OccupationBusiness executive
Years active2023–present (at Adidas)
TitleCEO of Adidas (2023–present)
ChildrenHenrik Gulden
Noah Gulden
Scott Gulden
ParentArild Gulden
Websiteadidas.com

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]

Early life and education

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

Gulden 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

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.[6]

He became CEO of Adidas on 1 January 2023, taking over Kasper Rørsted.[7]

Memberships

Gulden 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

  1. ^ Warner, Bernhard. "Bjørn Gulden". Fortune (magazine). Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  2. ^ "PUMA appoints Björn Gulden as new CEO". Kering. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Bjørn Gulden". godset.no. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  4. ^ Nilsen, Jostein (8 November 2022). "Tidligere Godset-spiller blir ny toppsjef i Adidas". Drammens Tidende (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Bjørn Gulden: the 'chaotic' ex-footballer revamping Adidas". www.ft.com. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Bjørn Gulden: the 'chaotic' ex-footballer revamping Adidas". www.ft.com. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  7. ^ Backman, Melvin (16 January 2024). "Adidas CEO to 60,000 employees: Call me maybe". Quartz (publication). Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Governance". www.sallinggroup.com. Retrieved 30 October 2024.