Sports company PUMA has appointed Erik Janshen (46) to lead its worldwide Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) business, which includes PUMA’s owned and operated stores, the website puma.com and several online marketplaces.

Erik, a German national, has more than 10 years of experience in leadership positions in digital sales and the DTC business, most recently as the SVP of Digital Sales for Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein at PVH Corp.

Improving the quality of its distribution is one of PUMA’s strategic priorities and seamlessly connecting consumers with the company’s products and initiatives both online and offline is an important aspect of this.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have Erik join the PUMAFamily, and I am confident that his leadership will drive us towards our ambitious goals to elevate our DTC consumer experience to drive further brand heat,” said PUMA CEO Arne Freundt. “His innovative approach and passion for consumer-centric strategies will undoubtedly be an asset for our DTC business.”

Erik replaces Karthik Balagopalan, who was appointed as Managing Director of PUMA India last year and has been leading PUMA’s DTC business on an interim basis since then.

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