Spanish brand Hoff appoints new CEO

Madrid – In the latest demonstration of the increasingly solid corporate structure being built at Hoff, the Spanish footwear company has announced the appointment of Nicolas de Ros Wallace as its new CEO. He takes over the role from the company's founder, Fran Marchena.

The Spanish footwear company announced the appointment of Nicolas de Ros Wallace as the new chief executive officer of Hoff. He will assume the position this coming Friday, May 1, 2026. His appointment as the new CEO will become effective on that date, replacing founder and majority shareholder, Fran Marchena. Marchena has decided to further professionalise the company's management team by appointing its first CEO not linked to the company's ownership. He will continue to steer Hoff's direction, but now as chairman of the board of directors. From this position, he will retain the authority to lead the brand's creative direction, vision and long-term strategies.

“Nicolas brings strong operational and brand leadership, acquired at Inditex; at Nike, where he was general manager of the football division for Southern Europe and vice president of Jordan Brand for EMEA; and, more recently, as chief executive officer of Canyon Bicycles,” highlighted Hoff's management. The company is now in the hands of Ros Wallace, who is tasked with spearheading a decisive new turning point in its ambitions to establish itself as a leading international brand. In this regard, “his mandate is clear,” the company emphasised. It will involve “accelerating international growth, strengthening brand value, and elevating the customer experience in all markets.” His arrival “marks the beginning of a new era,” which will be defined by “Hoff's rise as a global brand.”

From car salesman to CEO of Hoff

De Ros Wallace holds a master's degree in marketing and commercial management from the Fundesem Business School in Alicante and has pursued international studies in the US. He completed an intensive course for executives on digital strategy at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His first professional experience was selling cars for just over a year at a Volkswagen dealership in Alicante, part of the Sala Hermanos Group. Following this role, he joined the Inditex group, where he remained for over 13 years. He held various positions of responsibility, including head of footwear product at Pull&Bear. From there, he was promoted to global director of footwear for the same brand, before becoming the global director of women's footwear and bags for Zara.

After leaving the company in April 2011, de Ros Wallace joined Nike, a multinational where he worked for over 10 years. He held several key positions, including senior director of the running category for Western Europe; general manager of football for Southern Europe; and vice president and general manager of the Jordan brand for EMEA. He carried out these responsibilities from the US company's headquarters in the Netherlands. He left in March 2022 to take the helm of the German company Canyon Bicycles as its new CEO. On April 16, it was announced that he would be replaced by Matthias Meier, who will take over the German bicycle company from this coming May 1. This coincides with de Ros Wallace's departure and his new role as chief executive of Hoff.

Hoff aims for 100 million euros in sales

Hoff was co-founded in 2016 by Fran Marchena and Luis Miguel Botella. Since 2022, it has been solely controlled by Marchena following Botella's departure from the project. At the end of 2024, it was announced that Marchena had agreed to bring in the Luxembourg-based venture capital fund, Rahco Capital, to accelerate the company's growth. Following the deal, Marchena remained Hoff's main shareholder, controlling over 85 percent of its capital. This move marked the beginning of various internationalisation strategies. These include the appointment of David Tourniaire-Beauciel as design director, Alexa Chung as the face of the brand, and the opening of new flagship stores in Madrid and Amsterdam.

Building on these initiatives, Hoff maintained its short and medium-term growth objectives. The management had set a target of reaching 100 million euros in turnover by 2025. This ambitious goal has ultimately been postponed. It is clear that Nicolas de Ros Wallace will work towards this target from his new position as CEO. Hoff closed its last fiscal year in 2025 with sales of around 77 million euros. This figure represents a growth of +16.67 percent compared to the 66 million euros in 2024, and a +352.94 percent increase from the 17 million euros in 2020. Hoff ended the 2025 financial year with a presence in over 20 markets. Its own retail network consists of 26 stores, seven international and 19 in Spain, and 18 corners in various countries. These are complemented by the brand's activity in multi-brand spaces and through its online channel.