New marketing structure: Puma appoints Maria Valdes as chief brand officer

German sportswear company Puma SE announced a reform of its brand marketing department on Monday, filling a key position in the process.

Maria Valdes will now lead the new organisation as chief brand officer at board level, the company announced. In this role, she will be responsible for brand marketing, product, creative direction, innovation and go-to-market. The 41-year-old has been a member of the company's board of directors since 2023 and previously held the position of chief product officer.

New organisation combines product development and storytelling

The overarching new organisational unit will enable Puma to “improve and standardise the storytelling for its products,” according to a statement. Product development and storytelling will now take place “in parallel”. The aim is to “tell authentic and impactful stories” to inspire consumers. As part of the reform, the sports marketing division will be separated from brand marketing and will report directly to CEO Arthur Hoeld, the company explained.

The Puma CEO explained the background to the reorganisation, which takes effect immediately. “With our fantastic archive and our leading performance products, such as our Nitro technology, we have the perfect opportunity to tell exciting stories. Puma's previous storytelling approach was too fragmented,” Hoeld explained in a statement. “By developing storytelling and product in parallel from now on, we will strengthen our product icons and performance products. We will also create the necessary structures to better position Puma against its competitors in the sports industry.”