New leadership announced with PUMA India Ramprasad Sridharan appointment

Global sportswear brand PUMA has named senior retail leader Ramprasad Sridharan as its new managing director for India, signalling a fresh chapter for one of its key growth markets. The PUMA India Ramprasad Sridharan appointment will take effect in December 2025, with the role reporting directly to PUMA chief commercial officer Matthias Bäumer.

In his new position, Sridharan will be responsible for steering the company strategy and operations in India, a market that has become central to the brand global ambitions. He succeeds Karthik Balagopalan, who has chosen to pursue opportunities outside the organisation.

Bäumer said Sridharan is a highly experienced leader with a strong track record in the fashion and footwear industry and highlighted his deep understanding of retail. He added that this expertise will help strengthen the company operations and support India status as one of its most important markets, while translating global strategic priorities into regional success.

Sridharan brings more than 25 years of experience in brand building across the Asia Pacific region, with a focus on digital growth and commercial strategy. Most recently, he served as chief executive officer and managing director at United Colors of Benetton India, where he led large scale transformation initiatives.

Before that role, he held senior leadership positions at organisations including Clarks and Reebok India. Across these assignments, his career has been shaped by a focus on building strong commercial strategies, developing leadership pipelines, driving organisational change and creating high performance work environments. Colleagues and partners have often associated his style with structured execution and a clear emphasis on people and culture.

With this move, PUMA is looking to deepen its connection with Indian consumers at a time when sportswear and athleisure continue to gain ground in the market. Sridharan experience in digital growth, retail networks and brand building is expected to support the company efforts to expand its footprint and sharpen its consumer proposition.

Bäumer expressed confidence that the new managing director will help accelerate growth and turn global priorities into results that reflect local market realities. The leadership transition also underscores the company commitment to India as a market where long term investment and strong on ground teams are seen as essential to sustaining momentum.