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Adidas CEO Kasper R酶rsted Talks 鈥極wning the Game鈥� and Sustainability at USF Muma College of Business Thought Leader Series
By Elizabeth L. Brown
TAMPA (March 31, 2022) -- During a wide-ranging informal discussion before a sold-out crowd, the head of one of the world鈥檚 most iconic brands spoke about having a mindset of innovation, being committed to sustainability, and leading a company where people always come first.
Adidas CEO Kasper R酶rsted, 60, leads one of the largest and oldest athletic wear companies in the world. He has been at the helm of the global sportswear giant since 2016.
鈥淚nnovation is what our company is about. We want the best athletes in the world wearing our products, and if they鈥檙e not wearing them, we鈥檙e building our products wrong,鈥� he said.
R酶rsted spoke to nearly 450 people on Thursday in the Marshall Student Center鈥檚 Oval Theater as part of the 哔咔漫画 Muma College of Business Thought Leader Series.
R酶rsted wore a grey hoodie, jeans, and the beta version of the company鈥檚 4D running shoes that feature a 3D-printed midsole. He is also a person who notices footwear.
鈥淲hen I walked in, I saw a lot of opportunities here,鈥� he joked. 鈥淏rown shoes have been a declining trend for 20 years. I thought working from home would have taught you better.鈥�
He said it was his first trip to the U.S. since before the pandemic in 2019.
In a 45-minute presentation, R酶rsted talked about the company鈥檚 strategy of becoming the best sports brand in the world.
He is proud Adidas is a truly global and diverse multinational company and touted its laser-sharp focus on expanding the brand across the globe while putting its customers and employees first.
鈥淔or me, I have the greatest job in the world. I鈥檓 very honored to run this company. You are here as a temporary employee. Taking care of what you inherited is very important,鈥� he said.
The company made Forbes鈥� 2022 list of America鈥檚 Best Large Employers and Fortune鈥檚 2022 World鈥檚 Most Admired Companies.
In 2021, the German company had $23.6 billion in sales worldwide. The company employs 62,000 worldwide, with 2,100 retail stores in over 50 countries. Its employees represent 178 nationalities.
鈥淥ur team is truly a global team. If we don鈥檛 have a team that is a mirror of the world, then that is an issue,鈥� he said.
In 2021, women made up 37% of executive leadership roles, an increase of 2 percentage points from the prior year. Last September the company organized its second global week of inclusion.
R酶rsted spoke about how the company has a deep and broad mindset of innovation. In fact, its founder Adi Dassler was the embodiment of an innovator. He registered more than 800 patents with most innovations inspired by an athlete鈥檚 needs.
鈥淵ou have to lead with innovation in sport,鈥� he said.
Among its manufacturing innovations, R酶rsted mentioned its Futurecraft STRUNG, the industry鈥檚 first fully data-driven shoe that combines athlete data and 3D printing.
The company has also made a sustainability pledge, vowing to make 9 out of 10 products sustainable by 2025. Last year, they achieved a 69% share of sustainable Adidas products. It also plans to reach climate neutrality by 2050.
R酶rsted explained that the company is helping to end plastic waste with a three-pronged strategy. They are making sneakers from recycled materials, making products that are worn, returned, ground up, and then remade into new products, and using natural and renewable materials, such as the mushroom-based Stan Smith Mylo.
R酶rsted also talked about the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian border is 1,000 miles from the company鈥檚 headquarters in Germany. Adidas suspended the operations of its stores and e-commerce site in Russia. R酶rsted said he didn鈥檛 know when retail operations would resume.
鈥淭here are no human winners in this game. Of course, we鈥檙e against the war. This is a no-win proposition for everybody,鈥� he said.
The company has continued to pay employees in Russia and has donated $1 million in humanitarian aid to refugees and children鈥檚 charities, as well as supporting employees in the region with housing, food, clothes, and other basic needs.
At USF, the athletics department is in the fourth year of an eight-year partnership deal with Adidas.
R酶rsted said collegiate partnerships such as the one with USF help the company reach American sports fans.
During a Q&A session following his presentation, 哔咔漫画 student-athletes asked R酶rsted questions pre-submitted by the audience.
On his greatest accomplishment outside of work, he shared that he has been married for 32 years and has four kids. 鈥淔amily for me is more important than the job,鈥� he said.
On finding the right career, he said, 鈥淚f you work for a company, you have to embody what they stand for. And if you can鈥檛 do that, you can鈥檛 be there as an employee. For me, I have the greatest job in the world.鈥�
On his favorite job, aside from his current one, he said he loved working at Compaq. 鈥淚t was totally undisciplined. It was a very can-do attitude. There were no rules. You were constantly understaffed. It was great fun.鈥�
On being a digitally enabled company, he said, 鈥淎t the end of the day, we sell cool t-shirts and cool sneakers.鈥�
At a private breakfast with Executive Bulls donors, someone asked if he prefers people to use the American pronunciation of "Ah-DEE-dus" or the European version of 鈥淎H-dee-dahs.鈥� He quipped, 鈥淎s long as you buy it, I don鈥檛 care.鈥�
Before joining Adidas, R酶rsted was the CEO at Henkel from 2008 to 2016. R酶rsted started at Henkel in 2005 as the executive vice president for human resources management, procurement, IT, and infrastructure services.
Since 2018, R酶rsted has served on the board of directors at Nestl茅, but the company announced that he is not running for re-election and is stepping down from that role in April.
Kim Ross, a USF Muma College of Business alumna who sits on the college鈥檚 Executive Advisory Council, serves on the Nestl茅 board alongside R酶rsted and was instrumental in getting R酶rsted as a featured speaker.
The Muma College of Business Thought Leader Series began in 2018 to attract nationally recognized speakers, entrepreneurs, and innovators in business and industry for informal conversations that cover a wide range of topics.