Decathlon appoints new CEO for “new phase in evolution”

French sports reailer Decathlon has appointed Javier López as its new CEO, to succeed Barbara Martin Coppola with immediate effect. She has led the multinational for three years, but the results of her ambitious renewal programme are found to be lagging behind.

Experienced veteran

López has known an impressive rise through the Decathlon ranks: he started as Logistics Department Manager in Madrid in 1999, took on the Spanish division’s Logistics and IT and eventually became CEO of Decathlon Spain in 2015 (after a sidestep to Germany). In October 2022, he became the sports brand’s Globa Chief Value Chain Officer.