Intersport Appoints New CEO

IIC-Intersport International Corporation GmbH (IIC) said Steve Evers, the current vice chairman of the IIC Board, was nominated as the new CEO. He will start in his new position early 2019. Victor V. Duran stepped down from his position as IIC CEO by mutual agreement with immediate effect.

Martin Künzi, CFO and Deputy CEO, will take over the CEO role during the interim period.

Evers, 52, worked from 1990 to 2001 in several management positions for the Dutch multinational Hagemeyer Group in the western hemisphere (Caribbean, Argentina, Honduras and Costa Rica). After returning to Europe, he continued working in the retail and wholesale sectors as well as management consulting. In 2010, he became board member of Euretco Holding B.V, the leading retail service organization in the Netherlands. He was then appointed chief operating officer after the merger with its biggest competitor, Intres, in 2012 (quota holder and licensee for Intersport and The Athlete’s Foot) in The Netherlands and Belgium and was the driving force behind the growth of the retail franchise business. After the acquisition of Euretco by the German cooperative EK/servicegroup eG in March 2015, he was additionally elected to the board of the newly founded European group as its chief operating officer. In this position, he has been responsible for retail development for the group and its Sports, Fashion Living, Media and DIY activities. He has served as an IIC Board member since 2015 and was elected its vice chairman earlier this year.

Martin Künzi,57, has been CFO and deputy CEO since he joined IIC in August 1999. He was one of the driving forces for IIC’s successful development over the last two decades, during which Intersport retail sales doubled to €12 billion, and the group became a global sports retailer with Intersport and The Athlete’s Foot stores on all continents.

Jussi Mikkola, chairman of the IIC Board, said: “Steve Evers knows the retail and sporting goods market and our consumers very well. Under his leadership, Intersport Netherlands and The Athlete’s Foot developed into one of the driving forces for the implementation of the current Intersport 2.0 group strategy which includes key initiatives such as multi-channel retailing, new store concept, implementation of category management, reinforcing the private label business, launching The Athlete’s Foot in the Netherlands and Belgium and others. Having lived and worked in several countries, he also has the necessary personal skills and an understanding of different cultures. We are convinced that he and his experienced IIC team will ensure a successful business development and cooperation with all business partners.

“With Martin Künzi, we have a well-experienced business leader who has already worked for many years in close and trustful cooperation with IIC’s Board, including Steve Evers. This will ensure a smooth transition and consequent implementation of the launched strategic initiatives.

“On behalf of the IIC Board, I thank Victor V. Duran, who left the company on October 31, 2018 for his dedicated work during the last two years. Under the leadership of Victor Duran, the group strategy Intersport 2.0 was developed and launched, including strategic initiatives as e.g. launch Omnichannel/Digital platform, new brand/trademark concept, implementation of Category Management, launch build-up Data Exchange Platform as well as implementation of the new Intersport store concept. Victor Duran has led us through the start of our transformation, and we are well positioned for the future.”

With retail sales of €11.5 billion in 2017 and more than 5,600 affiliated stores in 45 countries, Intersport is one of the world’s leading sporting goods retailer. In December 2012, Intersport acquired the athletic speciality footwear chain, The Athlete’s Foot, with around 523 stores in 30 countries and retail sales of €0.4 billion in 2017. In total, the Intersport Group is represented in 58 countries on all five continents.

Image courtesy Intersport