Under Armour has tapped a former Puma executive as chief product officer, part of a leadership shakeup under new President and CEO Stephanie Linnartz.
Yassine Saidi, named by Vogue Man as “the Most Influential Man in Streetwear” in 2018, will join the Baltimore-based sports apparel maker Jan. 29, the company said Friday. Saidi, who has nearly two decades of industry brand experience, including at Adidas, had served as Puma’s head of product collaboration and partnership.
He was recognized by Vogue for co-creating with Rihanna, Canadian singer The Weeknd and rapper Big Sean, and for extending the Puma brand into street fashion, a move Under Armour also is pursuing.
In another appointment, Kara Trent, managing director of Under Armour’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region, has been named president of the Americas starting in February.
Both will report to Linnartz, a former Marriott International president who took over as Under Armour CEO in February and has been reshaping the senior executive team as part of her growth vision.
“In the past year, we have added incredible executive talent to Under Armour, and I am confident that Yassine and Kara’s demonstrated track records of leadership and expertise will further strengthen our ability to build an even more powerful brand,” Linnartz said in a press release Friday.
Saidi will oversee Under Armour’s global product vision and strategy in apparel, footwear and accessories.
“I see the massive opportunity to harness UA’s constant innovation and authenticity on-field with athletes to grow and evolve the business off-field,” Saidi said in a press release
Trent, who joined Under Armour in 2015, has since October 2021 overseen the company’s second-largest business in the Europe region, which has seen double-digit revenue growth during her tenure. She will take over for David Baxter, who is leaving the company.
In June, Under Armour announced that Jim Dausch, Marriott’s global chief product and digital officer, would become the brand’s executive vice president and chief consumer officer. Others appointed since then have included Shawn Curran, chief supply chain officer, John Varvatos, head of design, and Amanda Miller, chief communications officer.
Under Armour also is seeking a chief marketing officer and senior vice president for footwear.
