Nike has appointed Markus Kleber as Vice President and General Manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, bringing a former Reebok Europe executive into a key regional leadership role. Kleber will be based in Berlin.
Kleber announced the move on LinkedIn. Nike has not yet issued an official announcement, while regional trade media reported that he succeeds Ulrike Köhler, who had led the DACH region since 2016.
“I missed Sport, so I had to come back,” Kleber wrote. He said he is a believer in Nike’s “Sport Offense” approach, which focuses on innovation for athletes, and described his new role as part of the company’s “Territory Offense” strategy to get closer to consumers where they live and play.
From Reebok to Nike
Before joining Nike, Kleber served as CEO of Danish children’s lifestyle brand Liewood, which he joined on March 1. Danish trade media have reported that he is leaving the company after only a few months.
Kleber previously served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Reebok Europe and Reebok Ltd. at New Guards Group. His earlier career includes global Vice President of Product at adidas Outdoor, as well as executive roles at The North Face and Vans, where he led the DACH business.
Part of Nike’s commercial reset
The appointment comes as Nike continues to reshape its global commercial leadership. Jane Ewing became the company’s Chief Commercial Officer on Sept. 7 and oversees the global Marketplace organization, including sales and Nike Direct, as Nike works to rebuild relationships with wholesale partners.
Nike’s geographic markets, however, continue to report directly to CEO Elliott Hill. Kleber’s DACH role therefore sits outside Ewing’s direct reporting line, underlining the separate structure of Nike’s geographic and global Marketplace organiza