Puma has appointed ex-Nike executive Marcia Dos Santos to lead its newly created Core business unit as it pushes ahead with wider transformation.

Dos Santos will join the retailer as vice president of business unit Core on 15 July and report directly to chief brand officer Maria Valdes.

She brings more than 20 years of experience in the sports industry and most recently served as Nike’s vice president of merchandising for women’s across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Puma said Dos Santos had delivered strong commercial results across women’s, men’s and childrenswear during her career, with extensive experience spanning merchandising and go-to-market strategy.

Valdes said: “Throughout her career, Marcia has delivered strong commercial results across regions and product categories for Women, Men and Kids, demonstrating outstanding go-to-market and merchandising skills.

“With her broad industry experience, strong commercial track record and ability to build successful teams, she is the right leader to take our Core business, Puma’s commercial engine, to the next level.”

The appointment forms part of Puma’s ongoing turnaround, under which it has created separate dedicated teams for its Sportstyle and Core divisions.

The structural overhaul is designed to give the two areas greater focus as Puma looks to sharpen its product proposition and improve commercial performance across key markets.

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