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RUNNING INSIGHT
By Jennifer Ernst Beaudry
A
didas America may be shifting leadership, but the strategy will stay the same.
That was the word from the Portland, OR-based firm last week, when it announced that
Mark King, who has headed up the German firm's North American office since June of
2014, would be replaced July 1 by 43-year-old New Zealander Zion Armstrong.
King, who had previously headed the company's TaylorMade-Adidas Golf division, has
been widely credited with helping revitalize the Three Stripes in the U.S. market, as part
of the brand's strategy of leveraging American leadership in the critical North American market.
Under King, sales of the brand grew 35 percent last year and doubled its market share.
Armstrong, the firm noted, has co-led the Adidas brand as general manager and been based out
of the Portland offices since June 2015.
King's decision to step down was a "purely personal one," an Adidas spokeswoman said.
In his new role as president, Adidas North America, Armstrong will report to Roland Auschel,
executive board member responsible for global sales. King will remain with the company in an
advisory position.
"This is a well-prepared, seamless transition. We are very excited to promote Zion Armstrong
to one of the most important roles in our company. He has been instrumental to our success over
the last three years, co-leading Adidas North America together with Mark King. We are convinced
that Zion's leadership will enable us to continue our successful journey in North America," Auschel
said in a release. n
Adidas North America Gets New President
Zion Armstrong
