Inside...
Board of Management
Jochen Zeitz
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer PUMA AG
Jochen Zeitz, born on April 6, 1963 in Mannheim, Germany, was appointed Chairman and CEO of PUMA in 1993. His main priority is to oversee Marketing, Finance and Sales.
Rather than following in his family's footsteps and becoming a medical doctor, Zeitz attended the European Business School. In 1986, he graduated in International Marketing and Finance, after having studied in Germany, France, and the United States.
He began his professional career with Colgate-Palmolive in New York and Hamburg. In 1990, Zeitz joined PUMA and in 1993 was appointed Chairman and CEO of PUMA, becoming the youngest Chairman in German history to head a public company at the age of 30.
Zeitz has spearheaded and held primary responsibility for the worldwide restructuring of PUMA, which was in financial difficulties at the time. He reached the first major milestone within his first year as CEO, when PUMA delivered its first profitable performance since 1986, posting consolidated sales of 210 million Euros with an EBIT of 23 million Euros in 1994. In 2008, PUMA generated annual sales growth for the 14th time in a row reaching an EBIT of 350 million Euros and consolidated sales of 2.5 billion Euros. The share price gained around 4000 percent in 13 years, from 8.6 Euros in 1993 to an all time high of 350 Euros in April 2007.
Zeitz managed to turn PUMA from a low price brand into a premium Sportlifestyle company and one of the top 3 brands in the sporting good industry by sticking to a long-term development plan that he introduced in 1993. Zeitz currently is the longest serving CEO of a public DAX/MDAX company in Germany.
Jochen Zeitz believes in success through passion and he is a great aficionado of the African continent, its people and culture. He speaks six foreign languages, including Swahili. Africa also plays an important role for PUMA. PUMA will once again be one of the most dominant brands at the World Cup 2010 hosted in South Africa. It currently outfits 11 African Football Federations as well as the reigning World Champion, Italy.
Zeitz believes that PUMA's position as the creative leader in Sportlifestyle presents the opportunity (Corporate Social Opportunity, CSO) – and the responsibility – to contribute to a better world for the generations to come. In 2008, he introduced PUMAVision – an initiative to implement a corporate ethical framework defined by the four key principles of being Fair, Honest, Positive and Creative as applied to all professional behavior, business procedures and relationships throughout and outside of PUMA. Through PUMAVision, new initiatives are created that drive the company to cleaner, greener, safer and more sustainable systems and practices contributing to peace as well as promoting creativity and art, closely working alongside the FLA (Fair Labor Association) and UDHR (Universal Declaration for Human Rights) as a guide to ensure best practice and inspiring other corporations to reach a united objective.
In 2008, Zeitz founded the “Zeitz Foundation of Intercultural Ecosphere Safety” to support creative and innovative sustainable projects that balance conservation, community development, culture, and commerce (the “4Cs”), promoting an inclusive, holistic paradigm of conservation that enhances livelihood's and fosters intercultural dialogue.
Jochen Zeitz has been a member of the Board of Directors of Harley Davidson since 2007 and has received numerous awards during his professional career, including "2001 Entrepreneur of the Year", "Strategist of the Year" for three years in a row by the Financial Times", "Trendsetter of the Year" and "Best of European Business Award 2006". In 2004, the German Federal President awarded him with the Federal Cross of Merit of the Republic of Germany.
Melody Harris-Jensbach
Deputy CEO PUMA AG
Melody Harris-Jensbach has joined PUMA in January 2008 as Deputy CEO. As a member of the PUMA Board of Management she is responsible for the area Product.
Melody Harris-Jensbach graduated at the Parson School of Design in New York and has considerable experience in the fashion industry, especially in the area design and product management, as well as managing global premium- and lifestyle brands.
From 1998 to 2003 she held the position as Design Director Women’s Wear at Esprit and has been member of the Senior Management since then. In 2003 she took on the responsibility as International Product Director Women. She was responsible for the successful implementation of the market needs of all Woman’s segments in international key markets. In 2005 she also took over the Woman’s Casual Division, the Core Business of Esprit.
Previous posts include Chief Design & Product Manager at Fink Modelle, Chief Designer Women’s wear and Accessories at Laurel by Escada and Head Designer for Viventy by Bernd Berger.
Chief Financial Officer PUMA AG
Dieter Bock (born July 7, 1958) is member of the PUMA Board of Management since July 27, 2005 and responsible for finance. Before that he was in charge of the finance department (since 1993) as well as Group Executive Committee member. Dieter Bock has been with PUMA since 1979, holding different positions. He started his career in the accounting department and became Senior Group Head Accounting in 1988. From 1992 on he was overseeing the finance department (including accounting/controlling/tax/treasury) and with the start of Phase I of PUMA’s long-term company development in 1993 he quickly moved on to become General Manager Finance. Since 2002 he was part of the Group Executive Committee.
Stefano Caroti
Chief Commercial Officer PUMA AG
Stefano Caroti takes on the responsibility of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and will be appointed Member of the PUMA Board of Management as of August, 2008. He will be responsible for the wholesale and retail functions, as well as for PUMA’s three regions.
Stefano Caroti previously held a number of senior executive positions at Nike in Sales, Product, Marketing and General Management. Most recently, Stefano was Vice President for EMEA Commerce at Nike’s European headquarters in the Netherlands, where he was responsible for the entire wholesale and retail business in the EMEA region. He graduated at Middlebury College in Vermont, USA und started his career in the sporting goods industry in 1985 in Germany.
Deputy Members of the Board of Management:
Deputy Members of the Board of Management:
Antonio Bertone
Chief Marketing Officer PUMA AG
Chief Marketing Officer PUMA AG
Antonio Bertone has been a member of the PUMA Board of Management since 2008 and oversees PUMA’s global brand and marketing initiatives. He started working for PUMA’s product and marketing departments in 1994, and since then has become instrumental in the repositioning of the PUMA brand. His creative vision resulted in the introduction of many of PUMA’s Sportlifestyle collections.
Reiner Seiz
Chief Supply Chain Officer PUMA AG
Reiner Seiz has been a member of the PUMA Board of Management since 2008 and today is responsible for leading the PUMA World Cat sourcing organizations. He joined PUMA in 1989 in the design and development department and took over his first sourcing assignments in 1993. With his excellent knowledge of the global sourcing market he managed to build a global sourcing structure and a network of suppliers.
Reiner Seiz has been a member of the PUMA Board of Management since 2008 and today is responsible for leading the PUMA World Cat sourcing organizations. He joined PUMA in 1989 in the design and development department and took over his first sourcing assignments in 1993. With his excellent knowledge of the global sourcing market he managed to build a global sourcing structure and a network of suppliers.
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