Adidas promotes UK and Ireland boss from within in major shake-up

Adidas has promoted its head of football and rugby, former SmithKline Beechcam marketer Nick Craggs, to be its most senior marketer in the UK and Ireland, amid a shake-up at its marketing operation.

Craggs is to take up the post of head of communications, with responsibility for advertising and PR. The role has been vacant since Rod Connors was poached by rival Nike in October.

Craggs will report to Adidas managing director Gordon Baird, who joined from Timberland as managing director for marketing last year, before taking over sole responsibility for the UK operation when the managing director for sales and operations, Kath Smith, left in February.

Craggs joined the German sportswear giant in January 1999 as group marketing manager for football and rugby, after doing a stint as group brand manager for Ribena at SmithKline Beecham. At the time, Adidas was undergoing a marketing restructure and the football and rugby department was one of several marketing groups with responsibility for various other sports such as tennis, running and swimming.

But the company has been hit by a spate of departures over the past 18 months, with group brand communications manager Roy Gardner defecting to Helly Hansen.

Ross McMullin has been appointed president of Adidas America, reporting to Adidas-Salomon chief operating officer Herbet Hainer.