Karthik Balagopalan is the MD of PUMA India. He earlier served as Global Director Retail and e-commerce at the company. Karthik will report to PUMA CEO Arne Freundt and will be based in Bengaluru.
Karthik will succeed Abhishek Ganguly, who worked for PUMA’s Indian business for 17 years and has been the MD of PUMA India since 2014.
Karthik has been with the company since 2006. Prior to leading PUMA’s global DTC business, he held management positions in retail operations and business development at PUMA India.
The company said that he will start in his new role on 1st August 2023. Abhishek will remain at PUMA until the end of August to ensure a smooth transition.
Abhishek is set to pursue a career as an entrepreneur in his own venture.
A statement by the company said that Karthik’s local knowledge, and relevant experience in the D2C business across all channels combined with exposure to global business and headquarter functions makes him the ideal candidate for managing the important Indian market.
India has been one of the fastest-growing markets for the brand. “India is a vibrant market, where PUMA has been the No. 1 brand for many years. With the appointment of Karthik, we will write the next chapter of this very successful story. I would like to thank Abhishek for his energy and commitment over the past 17 years and wish him all the best for his future as an entrepreneur,” said Arne Freundt, CEO, PUMA.
