German sportswear company Puma has announced another senior leadership change as Esteve Planas, the company’s General Manager for South Europe, has stepped down after nearly three years in the role.
Planas confirmed his departure in a post on LinkedIn, describing his time at Puma as a “truly unique journey.” He said the South Europe team delivered the best commercial results in the region’s history for two consecutive years, adding that the way those results were achieved through teamwork, accountability and commitment was his greatest source of pride.
The executive also thanked Puma CEO Arne Freundt, along with Javier Ortega and Dietmar Knoess, for their support during his tenure.
More than a decade at Puma
Planas had served as General Manager for South Europe since October 2023.
Before taking on the regional leadership role, he briefly served as Chief Financial Officer at pharmaceutical company Galenicum between January and October 2023.
His Puma career began in 2010 as Chief Financial Officer for the Iberia region, a position he held for nearly 13 years, overseeing the company’s financial operations across Spain and Portugal.
Prior to joining Puma, Planas held finance and economic management roles at Kompan, Choprad, KPN and Bankinter.
Leadership changes continue
His departure comes as Puma continues to reshape its organizational structure. In late June, the company appointed former Adidas executive Dusan Hamlin as its newly created Global Vice President of E-Commerce, reinforcing its digital commerce strategy.
Departure follows weak quarterly results
The leadership change also comes shortly after Puma reported weaker financial performance for the second quarter of 2026.
The company posted €1.69 billion in sales for the quarter, representing a 9.4% year-over-year decline from €1.87 billion in the same period last year.
Puma attributed the decline to the restructuring measures launched in the third quarter of 2025 and weaker consumer demand in key markets amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
For the first six months of 2026, the company’s revenue fell 5.2% year over year to €3.55 billion.