Zalando has appointed Nina Graf-Vlachy as the new general manager for Sports, effective August 2024.
The role is newly created to enable an even “stronger and more holistic approach” to the Sports category.
In her new role, Graf-Vlachy will be reporting to Martin Rost, senior vice president Customer Propositions at Zalando,
Graf-Vlachy joins Zalando after working for over a decade with Puma and last served as their managing director of Central Europe. Prior to Puma, she was a project leader for BCG.
Zalando is already continuously enhancing its Sports customer experience, for example with the introduction of the Stories section in the Sports hub that features inspirational content such as interviews with athletes among other exciting content.
Moreover, the company has recently introduced sought-after brands such as lululemon, Hoka and On.
Graf-Vlachy’s appointment comes after David Schröder joined the business as co-CEO.
Graf-Vlachy said: “Zalando’s strategic direction is exciting for me as Sports plays a prominent part in it. I am happy to bring in my experience and industry knowledge, and join Zalando to lead the team on this journey to build up the Sports proposition for customers, in partnerships with brands.”
Rost added: “We are excited that Nina is joining our team, as she has tremendous experience in the sports industry and will help us with expanding Sports even more as a lifestyle proposition. As the year of Sports is in full swing at Zalando with major sporting events happening in Europe, Nina’s arrival couldn’t be more timely in this regard. I’m very much looking forward to working with her on turning Sports on Zalando into the leading destination for sports enthusiasts in Europe.”
