Amer Sports Bolsters Salomon with New EMEA CEO

Salomon strengthens its management team to boost its international expansion. The French fashion and sports equipment company, owned by Amer Sports Group, has promoted Bertrand Gachon to the position of general manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea).

The executive joined the company last year to lead the Sportstyle category in the region and now assumes overall management of the business in this market, one of the most strategic for the company. His appointment is part of a reorganization of Salomon’s top management to support its growth.

With more than two decades of experience in the sports and fashion industry, Gachon has spent most of his career at Nike, where he worked for 25 years. At the French subsidiary of the sports multinational, he became director of the Action Sports category.

In 2011, the executive moved to Converse, where he was general manager for France. In 2017, he was promoted to sales director for Western Europe, a position he held until joining Salomon in 2023.

Salomon boosts its international expansion with a new management in Emea

The reinforcement in the region comes at a time of strong growth for Salomon, which is expanding its global footprint with new openings in key international markets. In recent months, the company has added stores in Shanghai, Tokyo, Melbourne and Chicago.

The brand, headquartered in Annecy, France, combines a technical sports footwear and equipment offering with lifestyle lines, a segment the company is looking to boost with specialized talent such as Gachon.

“The goal is to elevate our omnichannel strategy and advance operational excellence to open up new ways to connect with our communities and write the future of Salomon,“ Bertrand Gachon said of his appointment.

The move is part of Amer Sports’ strategy to accelerate the internationalization of its brands. In addition to Salomon, the group controls brands such as Arc’teryx, Wilson and Peak Performance, and has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since early 2024.

Amer Sport has also announced a replacement at Wilson

The update of Salomon’s top management coincides with other changes in the conglomerate’s structure. In parallel to the presentation of its latest results, Amer Sports confirmed the departure of Joe Dudy, until now CEO of Wilson. The company appointed Andrew Page on an interim basis as the new head of the US brand, also under the group’s umbrella. These moves reinforce Amer Sports’ strategy to underpin the growth of its portfolio in key markets.

The reinforcement at the top of Salomon comes in parallel with record results for its parent company. Amer Sports closed the first half of 2025 with sales of $2.71 billion, up 23.4% year-on-year, and net profit of $160.5 million, a 21-fold increase on the same period last year. The group’s gross profit rose by 30.4% to $1.57 billion.

By category, the outdoor segment, which includes Salomon, increased sales by 29% to $916.1 million, and technical textiles by 26% to $1.17 billion.