Director – Bu - Football & SPSP, Brand adidas

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Act as the General Manager of Football Korea, leading the transformation of adidas Football into the No.1 Football Brand in Koreathrough category leadership, market share expansion, consumer-centric innovation and cultural relevance.

Drive sustainable growth across Football Footwear, Licensed Apparel, Team Sports and Football Culture while building authentic connections with the Korean football ecosystem, athletes, clubs, communities and key partners.

Own the end-to-end Football business agenda spanning Product, Distribution, Activation and Marketplace Excellence to deliver both short-term commercial success and long-term brand leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Market Leadership & Ambition Ownership

• Own the Football & SPSP Ambition roadmap and annual business planning.
• Establish quarterly market share targets and lead cross-functional execution plans to achieve category leadership.
• Build clear action plans to close the market share gap against key competitors.
• Drive profitable growth while balancing sell-in and sell-out performance.

       2. Football Culture & Consumer Ecosystem Leadership

• Develop adidas into the most culturally relevant Football brand in Korea.
• Build strategic partnerships across football communities, grassroots football, academies, amateur leagues and creators.
• Lead local football storytelling and consumer engagement initiatives.
• Identify emerging cultural trends and convert them into scalable business opportunities.
• Drive trial, seeding, community activation and grassroots football programs.

      3. Marketplace Expansion & Growth

• Define and lead the channel growth strategy.
• Expand leadership position within key specialty and football/SPSP-focused accounts.
• Partner with Sales to secure category visibility, premium execution and SKU productivity.
• Drive premium distribution strategy balancing heat, scarcity and commercial productivity.

       4. Product Franchise Leadership

• Lead franchise strategies across key FTW franchises and future innovation platforms.
• Drive launch excellence and commercial success of all key product concepts.
• Influence Global BU to secure priority allocations and Korea-specific opportunities.
• Ensure Korean consumer insights are reflected in future product creation.

       5. Local Creation & Football & SPSP Innovation

• Identify local product, collaboration and creation opportunities to strengthen category credibility.
• Partner with Global BU and Creation teams to deliver Korea-first initiatives.
• Champion locally relevant player packs, club-related concepts and culturewear opportunities.

KPI’s:

• Market P&L for category (NS, Margin, Contribution)
• Sell Out all channels
• Inventory Health
• Market Share
• 3-5 year category plan : achievement of key initiatives
• Execution excellence in brand concepts/stories

Key Relationships:

• Global BU
• Brand Activation, AP
• MOPS, PMO
• Sales (all channels)
• Demand Planning, SCM, Finance (marketing ROI)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to develop and implement strategy
• Proven leadership and management abilities especially in managing a diverse team (incl. remote management)
• Strong presentation/communication, negotiation and influencing skills, especially with senior stakeholders within a global matrix organization.
• Broad Marketing experience, with a distinct track record of success and expert Merchandising knowledge
• Strong cross-functional and stakeholder management experience across commercial functions (e.g. marketing, sales, etc.) and support functions (finance preferred), as well as different organizational levels (Global, Market, etc.)
• Strong industry knowledge, across divisions—footwear, apparel and accessories—and across all Bus.
• Expert understanding of Korean local consumers, accounts, economic environment and commercial needs

Experience & Capabilities:

• Deep passion and proven expertise in Football & SPSP industry and culture.
• Strong understanding of consumer behavior, specialty landscape and marketplace dynamics.
• Experience leading category transformation and market share growth initiatives.
• Demonstrated success influencing global stakeholders and driving local relevance.
• Proven ability to connect commercial objectives with brand and cultural impact.
• Experience managing complex matrix organizations and cross-functional leadership teams.
• 10+ years of experience in merchandising/product, marketing, sales/retail required. Regional experience preferred.
• University degree in Business or equivalent professional experience, ideally in Sales and/or Marketing
• Previous experience in managing a global matrix organization required
• Fluent in English
• Fluent in local language (if applicable) preferred
• Willingness to travel upwards of 20% of time