Puma Names Nike Veteran Fokko de Rooij to Lead Europe

Puma has appointed Fokko de Rooij, a nearly 21-year Nike veteran, as managing director of Europe, effective Oct. 1, the German athletic company announced Monday.

In the role, de Rooij will report to Puma chief executive officer Arthur Hoeld, who has temporarily absorbed the duties of chief commercial officer while the company searches for a successor. The appointment marks the latest in what has become a near-weekly cadence of management changes at Puma's European leadership ranks.

De Rooij arrives from Nike, where he spent more than two decades and most recently served as vice president of sales for the EMEA region — Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In that post, he returned the wholesale business to growth through what the company described as a strategic commercial reset. His Nike résumé also includes vice president of supply chain for Greater China, general manager of running for Northern Europe and director of customer operations in Europe.

Since leaving Nike in 2025, de Rooij has worked as an independent advisor to CEOs and boards in the sporting goods and fashion industry.

"I'm very excited to continue my career in the sporting goods industry at Puma," de Rooij said in a statement. "I look forward to building on Puma's rich heritage and strong brand position to further accelerate the European business. Doing this as part of one of the strongest teams in the industry is a dream come true."

Alongside the external hire, Puma promoted from within. Daniel Pustina becomes managing director of Cluster Central, effective immediately, reporting directly to de Rooij. He will oversee the DACH markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland; Benelux, covering Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg; Eastern Europe; and Ukraine.

Pustina has held various roles at Puma since 2020, most recently as managing director of the Oceania region, based in Melbourne. Before relocating to Australia, he led several business units covering DACH and Central Europe.

His career spans much of the industry's competitive map. Pustina spent nearly 12 years at Adidas in roles including senior director of sales and brand marketing, then almost five years at Under Armour as senior director of key accounts for EMEA and regional director of DACH. He also served as lead mentor for the accelerator program at Hype Sports Innovation before joining Puma.

The double appointment signals where Puma sees its next fight: Europe. By pairing a Nike-trained commercial operator with an internal promotion who knows the DACH and Central European terrain, Hoeld is stacking the region's leadership with wholesale and multi-market experience. De Rooij's track record of reviving Nike's EMEA wholesale business will face an early test as he takes charge of Puma's home continent on Oct. 1.