Puma is double down on basketball with the hiring of Nike and Timberland alum Archie McEachern as the new vice president of basketball, effective Aug. 18.

The German sportswear company noted that McEachern will be based in Boston and will report to Maria Valdes, chief product officer at Puma. He replaces Max Staiger, who left the company earlier this year to become general manager of basketball at Adidas.

“With Archie, we’ve brought on a seasoned expert who understands both product and the culture of our consumers,” Valdes said in a statement. “Basketball has always been a part of Puma’s DNA, and as the game continues to grow globally, we’re confident that Archie will help elevate our legacy and expand our impact on and off the court.”

McEachern joins Puma from VF Corp.-owned brand Timberland, where he most recently served as vice president and chief merchandising officer since May 2023. Prior to Timberland, McEachern worked as the chief executive officer of basketball innovation start-up 360 Hoops from 2021 through 2022.

But the majority of his experience came from his 28-year tenure at Nike. McEachern joined the Swoosh in 1992 and worked his way up in footwear roles including general manager of basketball in Asia Pacific, senior merchandising director of basketball in North America and vice president of merchandising in Japan. McEachern left Nike in 2020 with the most recent title of vice president of category merchandising for Greater China.

This announcement comes just days after Puma named Adidas veteran Andreas Hubert as its new chief operating officer, effective Sept. 1.

In July, Puma surprised local markets when it released preliminary second-quarter results that were below expectations and then slashed its outlook for the full year.

Between April and June, Puma sales fell by 2 percent, in currency adjusted terms, to 1.94 billion euros. This meant that over the first half of 2025, the brand’s sales decreased by 1 percent, in currency adjusted terms, compared to the same period last year. So far in 2025, Puma sales have totaled 4.02 billion euros.