The adidas Supervisory Board has appointed Birgit Kretschmer to the company’s Executive Board, effective September 1, 2026. She will succeed Harm Ohlmeyer as the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the end of the year, following his decision not to extend his Executive Board mandate beyond his current term. Ohlmeyer, who worked closely with the company’s CEO Bjørn Gulden and the Supervisory Board on the succession plan, has been with adidas for almost 30 years and acted as the company’s CFO since May 2017.   

adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden: “I am extremely happy that we have signed Birgit to be the successor of Harm. Having worked 25 years with adidas before and now six years as the CFO at C&A makes her the perfect CFO for the future. She knows the industry, she knows adidas and she has added the knowledge of cost discipline working as the CFO of a vertical retailer like C&A. I really look forward welcoming her back on our team. Harm, who took part in the process of finding his successor, will ensure a smooth transition and also continue to stay close to adidas. We have a lot to thank him for. With 29 years with the company and ten years as the CFO he has been a huge contributor to the success of our company. His many achievements include building-up our e-commerce business 15 years ago as well as the divestitures of TaylorMade and Reebok, which have allowed us to fully focus on the adidas brand. Harm was an important partner for me when I took over in 2023 and will continue to be an advisor to me and the board.”

“On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board I would like to thank Harm for his many contributions to the successful development of our company, particularly during his 10 years as our CFO. His strong financial expertise and broad operational experience have been crucial in steering our company through challenging periods and supporting the successful turnaround over the past years”, said Nassef Sawiris, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. “We are extremely happy that with Birgit Kretschmer we are appointing a very experienced candidate as our next CFO. Birgit is a passionate leader who knows our company, our business and the industry extremely well. In addition, she gained broad experience across finance from her time at adidas, her most recent role as CFO as well as her non-executive director roles.”

Birgit Kretschmer brings more than 30 years of experience in finance. Kretschmer returns to adidas, where she had spent the vast majority of her professional career – 25 years – in different leadership roles across the organization, including CFO of adidas International BV, CFO of Western Europe, and Senior Vice President Corporate & Operations Finance, which included overseeing the company’s Accounting, Treasury and M&A activities as well as Operational Controlling. Kretschmer was part of the Finance Leadership Team since 2012 and a member of the company’s Core Leadership Group between 2017 and 2020. For the past six years, Kretschmer acted as the CFO of C&A, one of Europe’s leading fashion retailers. Kretschmer currently holds non-executive roles at stock-listed companies Ceconomy as well as MisterSpex, where she chairs the Supervisory Board’s Audit Committee.  

As of January 1, 2027, the company’s Executive Board will consist of Bjørn Gulden, Birgit Kretschmer, Michelle Robertson and Mathieu Sidokpohou.