Exclusive interview with Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden
For more: https://www.cgtn.com/video The Paris Olympics are over, but the spirit and the excitement remain palpable, especially in ...
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Adidas
Search every verified Bjorn Gulden interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Bjørn Gulden, CEO of Adidas, stated in a June 2025 interview that the China market is "extremely important" for the company, citing its population, economic growth, and growing middle class. He described dialogue with Chinese authorities as "very good" and said he feels the commitment from both the company and Chinese officials is "very strong" and "more open than ever." Gulden noted that he has visited China three times since becoming CEO 18 months ago and has been traveling to the country since 1993. In a 2023 podcast, Gulden discussed the company's challenges, stating that Adidas was "slow in reacting" to changes including the COVID-19 pandemic, the downturn in China, the war in Russia, and an aggressive direct-to-consumer strategy. He also commented on the company's split with Kanye West, describing West as "one of the most creative people in the world" who made "some statements which wasn't that good." Gulden said he did not think West is "a bad person" but that his statements "came across that way."
“The China Market is extremely important for us. You have a huge population, you have had an economy that has been growing fantastically over the last 30 years. More and more people are doing sports, your middle class is growing. So from a market point of view it's extremely important, but also from a manufacturing and...”
“I think the commitment from your top leaders both centrally and also locally is there. We've had very good talks and the issues that comes up we can always discuss. I have the feeling that there is a huge understanding from the Chinese sides what foreign companies like us need and it's a very good dialogue.”
“I think that Audi had everything going for them you know through the 1780-19 and then I think you know covet and a lot of things that changed the world didn't really fit I would say the strategy and and I think Audi was slow in in reacting to these changes you know China going down covet the Russian war and and the who...”
“I think Kanye West is one of the most creative people in the world and you know both in music and our culture so he is extremely creative and has together with Audi you know created a easy line which was very successful and as creative people you know he did some statements which wasn't that good and and that call star...”
For more: https://www.cgtn.com/video The Paris Olympics are over, but the spirit and the excitement remain palpable, especially in ...
Bjørn Gulden CEO of Adidas: Shoes, Leadership, and Fast Decisions. The Norwegian former football player Bjørn Gulden share unique insight into how it was to leave Puma for the main competitor Adidas. He also explains his plan to rebuild Adidas, the relationship with Kanye West and why he makes quick decisions. In this episode, Bjorn Gulden, share his insights and experiences with Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management. The podcast In Good Company is part of Norges Bank Investment Management , a podcast about our investments. We are transparent about how the fund is invest…
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