Salomon has appointed a new leader for its Greater China operations.

It has been officially confirmed that Vincent Du joined Amer Sports on July 10th, taking on the role of General Manager for the Salomon brand in Greater China, where he will be responsible for the brand's development and business operations in the region.

Earlier this year, the former Salomon Greater China General Manager, Yin Yi, transitioned to become the General Manager for Arc'teryx in Greater China, leaving the Salomon position vacant for approximately three months.

Vincent Du is a local professional manager who grew his career within Nike (NYSE: NKE), having served at Nike Greater China for a remarkable 20 years.

His public resume shows he previously held positions including Head of Brand Merchandising for Nike Greater China, General Manager for Nike Basketball and NBA Business in Greater China, General Manager for the Northern and Western regions, Vice President of Women's Merchandising, and prior to his departure, Vice President of Merchandising for Greater China.

His extensive rotational experience has covered areas such as merchandise planning, sports categories, regional operations, and consumer engagement, which aligns well with Salomon's current business needs.

Over the past few years, Salomon has rapidly expanded in the Chinese market, moving from a professional outdoor brand to a broader consumer market. Trail running and outdoor footwear remain the foundation of its professional image, while some star shoe models have helped the brand enter urban fashion and trendy consumption scenes.

As its scale increases, Salomon's challenge is no longer just sustaining the popularity of its star products but building a more complete merchandise structure.

Amer Sports' 2025 financial report shows that Salomon's annual sales surpassed $2 billion for the first time. The outdoor sports segment, with Salomon at its core, achieved revenue of $2.404 billion, a year-on-year increase of 31%, making it one of the group's fastest-growing major businesses.

Amer Sports management has previously stated they will accelerate investment in Salomon's footwear and apparel business. Compared to the already well-established trail running and outdoor footwear categories, road running, sportswear, and women's products will become important directions for the brand to expand its consumer base.

Channel Development Objectives

Channel expansion is also a key task for the new leader.

In recent years, Salomon has accelerated the opening of directly operated and partner stores in China, entering more core commercial districts and key outdoor consumption cities. With the increase in stores, the brand needs to further coordinate the product and pricing systems between flagship stores, mall stores, professional outdoor channels, and online channels.

Vincent Du's previous experience includes overseeing Nike's merchandise business and serving as a regional general manager. This means he will not only need to determine what Salomon will sell in the next phase but also address how different products enter different cities and channels.

Moving from a 20-year career at Nike to Salomon, Vincent Du faces a different growth logic: Nike is already a highly mass-market, comprehensive sports group, while Salomon is still in a phase of expanding from a professional outdoor brand to a broader sports market.

How to translate the merchandise and regional operational experience accumulated at Nike into growth for Salomon will be the most noteworthy aspect following this leadership change.