Puma strengthens sports marketing with appointment of Steve Cecchini

Puma has appointed Steve Cecchini as senior vice president of sports marketing. He will take up his new position on October 1, 2026, and will report directly to CEO Arthur Höld, the Herzogenaurach-based sporting goods manufacturer announced on Wednesday.

In his new role, Cecchini will further develop the company's sports marketing organisation and proactively build and manage partnerships that reflect the company's brand identity, according to the announcement. Through these partnerships and collaborations with athletes, the company's position as a leading global sports brand is to be strengthened.

“Partnerships with our athletes, teams and federations are crucial to who we are as a brand,” said Puma CEO Arthur Höld. “I am firmly convinced that Steve is the right person to lead our team proactively and strategically and to manage Puma's sports marketing portfolio. He will help us create high visibility for Puma and its performance products and clearly position us as one of the top three sports brands in the world.”

The world of sport is not new to Cecchini. The designated senior vice president of sports marketing is moving to Puma from Nike. At the US sports company, he held the position of general manager of global football clubs, federations, leagues and partnerships. In this role, he was responsible for complex, long-term partnerships and also developed and implemented a product, marketing and market strategy for this business area. He previously worked in various strategy and business development positions at Nike and at Hilfiger's parent company, PVH Corp.