PUMA appoints Nadia Kokni as vice president-global brand marketing

Sports company PUMA has appointed Nadia Kokni as vice president, global brand marketing, effective 1 January 2026. Kokni joins PUMA’s global leadership team and will report directly to Maria Valdes, chief brand officer. The appointment reflects PUMA’s focus on consolidating brand strategy and sharpening its global storytelling as it advances its long-term brand ambitions.

In her new role, Kokni becomes PUMA’s most senior global marketing leader. She will be responsible for overseeing brand marketing strategy, brand marketing creative direction, and integrated marketing and communication across all markets. Her remit covers the alignment of product storytelling, innovation narratives and global campaign execution, as PUMA seeks to strengthen clarity and consistency across consumer touchpoints.

The appointment comes at a time when PUMA is accelerating its global brand ambition and placing increased emphasis on storytelling around its product icons and innovation pipeline. The company is working to bring product creation and brand communication closer together, with the aim of creating more cohesive and impactful narratives that resonate across sport, culture and performance.

Kokni brings extensive international experience in shaping and transforming global brands across the sport, fashion and lifestyle sectors. She has held senior leadership roles at JD Sports, H&M, adidas and Tommy Hilfiger, building a track record in global brand development, integrated marketing and consumer engagement. Most recently, she served as senior vice president of global marketing and communications at Hugo Boss.

During her tenure at Hugo Boss, Kokni led large-scale brand transformation initiatives and digital acceleration programmes. Her work focused on modernising brand expression, strengthening cultural relevance and enhancing global consistency across channels. This experience positions her to lead PUMA’s next phase of brand development as the company sharpens its global positioning.

Commenting on the appointment, Maria Valdes said: “Nadia is a world-class marketing leader with a proven ability to build modern global brands through strategic clarity, creative excellence and cultural relevance. Her appointment comes at an important time for PUMA as we bring product creation and storytelling even closer together. Nadia’s leadership will help us deliver sharper product narratives, stronger brand heat and deeper consumer connections globally.”

Kokni’s appointment follows PUMA’s recent organisational change that brings brand marketing, product, creative direction, innovation and go-to-market into a single global structure. This unified organisation is led by Valdes and is designed to improve speed, alignment and effectiveness across the brand’s global operations.

Commenting on her new role, Kokni said: “I’m delighted to join PUMA at such an exciting moment for the brand, it has a powerful heritage and a clear opportunity to lead at the intersection of sports, culture and performance. I look forward to working with Maria and teams around the world to deliver bold, meaningful storytelling that inspires consumers and accelerates PUMA’s next phase of growth.”

Kokni replaces Richard Teyssier, who has decided to leave PUMA to pursue other opportunities. Her appointment signals continuity in leadership while reinforcing PUMA’s intent to strengthen its brand marketing capabilities at a global level.