Salomon president Jean-Marc Pambet to bow out

By

Olivier Guyot

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Nov 6, 2019

Next January, Jean-Marc Pambet will reach the finish line of a professional career with Salomon that started 34 years ago. The French manager has lived through the highs and lows of the brand founded by the Salomon family in 1947, specialising initially in ski edges and bindings before going on to produce skis and other sport equipment and apparel.

Pambet, a graduate of the HEC business school, began his career at Salomon in the sales department, and gradually rose through the ranks to take charge of the French market first, then Europe. In 2002, he was appointed general manager in charge of diversification at Salomon. Under his aegis, the brand discovered new horizons, making inroads into the trail running market, in which it is now a benchmark, and introducing apparel lines too. Pambet continued to work for Salomon after Adidas decided to sell the brand to Finnish group Amer Sports in 2005, when the French organisation was restructured. He joined the board of directors of Amer Sports, becoming president of Salomon in 2009.

In the last 10 years, Pambet drove Salomon's business forward, consolidating its foundations at the same time. He led the development of the Annecy Design Centre, the group’s R&D centre for footwear, apparel and equipment. In a press release, Salomon underlined that Pambet was also the brains behind the creation of a centre to test and analyse the brand’s relationship with both online and in-store customers. Locally, Pambet is involved in the Outdoor Sports Valley association, for the promotion of the outdoor sport industry.

Under Pambet’s leadership, Salomon doubled its sales, and in 2018 it reached a revenue of €830 million. Salomon is a major player in the sport apparel and equipment industry and, together with the Amer Sports group, it has been acquired by a Chinese consortium led by sport giant Anta. The operation was finalised at the start of the year, and opens up new prospects for Salomon, although Pambet, who is stepping down at the end of December, will not be there to witness these new developments. “After drawing up Salomon’s 2025 plan in the last 12 months, Jean-Marc Pambet, who recently turned 60, is handing over Salomon’s reins to Michael White,” stated Salomon in the press release.

White is faced with a sizeable task. He has been with the Amer Sports group since 2005, taking charge of Great Britain and Ireland. In 2010 he was appointed general manager EMEA and joined the group’s board of directors. He has a global vision of the group’s business, having been appointed chief sales officer and general manager EMEA and Americas in 2013. In 2016, he became the group's chief commercial officer. White is an experienced manager with a strong global vision and, with regards to him being British and taking charge of a French brand like Salomon, the group indicated in the press release that White will be working closely with Pambet for the next two months. He speaks five languages, has been working in France for over 20 years and will be based in Annecy, the cradle of Salomon.