Sports company Puma has appointed Shirley Li as its new general manager in China. This is part of the company's strategy to strengthen its business in this important market.

The Chinese executive joined Puma as commercial director in early 2023, bringing with her more than 20 years of experience in the industry and in-depth knowledge of the Chinese market and Chinese consumers. Prior to joining Puma, she was VP of wholesale at Adidas. She holds a law degree from Fudan University.

In her new role, Li replaces Philippe Bocquillon, who will become area manager of Greater China, which includes China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Bocquillon will also assume the position of general manager of Hong Kong, while Paul Yu will stay on as general manager of Taiwan. Li and Yu will both report to Bocquillon.

"I am delighted that we are opening a new chapter of PUMA China under Shirley's leadership," said CEO Arne Freundt. "I am very confident that our China business will recover strongly under her leadership, which is one of our three strategic priorities. I would like to thank Philippe for more than 10 years as general manager of PUMA China. He has done great things under often difficult circumstances and I wish him all the best in his new role as area manager."

David Lu will replace Li as commercial director, strengthening Puma China's top management team. He joined the company in March 2023 and has more than 15 years of experience in the sports and fashion industry. Most recently, he was general manager of retail at Levi's.

The new appointments will take effect on July 1, 2023.