Jan Runau is Chief Corporate Communication Officer for the adidas Group. In this position, he directs the Corporate PR and Internal Communication efforts of the adidas Group and oversees PR activities for all brands within the adidas Group (adidas, Reebok, Rockport and TaylorMade-adidas Golf).
Jan was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1966. A journalism graduate, he worked as freelancer and editor for various German newspapers for several years. He also studied business and sport at the University of Bayreuth, Germany.
Jan joined the adidas family in 1991, working in the Public Relations department in support of the German PR team. After three years, Jan was promoted to Head of PR for adidas Germany and led all PR activities in adidas’ home market for four years.
Jan left adidas to become Head of International PR and VIP Wardrobing at Hugo Boss AG in 1998, before returning to adidas in 1999 as Head of Sports Marketing Region Europe.
In 2000, Jan accepted the role of Head of Corporate and Global PR for adidas-Salomon AG. In this position, he oversaw all PR efforts around a number of key sporting events, including the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Jan is a committed athlete and completed an “Iron Man” competition in the early 90s. In addition to his love for triathlon, Jan is also a passionate tennis player. Jan is married and lives with his wife and two daughters near Nuremberg, Germany.
Over the past several years, Jan has received numerous awards for his communication achievements, including the “German Image Award 2006” and “Best Corporate Communication Officer 2007”.