
NEW BALANCE APPOINTS MATHIAS BOENKE TO LEAD EMEA BUSINESS AS FRAN ALLEN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT PLANS
Boston-based New Balance Athletics announces the appointment of Mathias Boenke as Senior Vice President, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Fran Allen, current SVP of EMEA and a 25-year veteran of the company, will retire at the end of 2021.
Allen joined New Balance in 1991 as Vice President of U.S. Sales and later assumed the role of EVP, North America. After moving to the UK to manage the company’s European expansion, Allen was named SVP, EMEA in 2015. New Balance opened a new regional office in Amsterdam under his tenure.
“Fran’s strategic leadership drove significant sales growth for our North American and EMEA business during his impactful career at New Balance,” said Joe Preston, President and CEO. “I want to thank Fran for his many years of service and dedication to our customers as well as his strong passion for charity and volunteerism.”
Boenke, who served as New Balance’s Country Manager for Germany from 2001-2006, will return to the brand in June. He was most recently at Intersport where he served as Chief Operating Officer for Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary and directed sales, marketing communications, digital expansion, and category management for the global sports retailer. Boenke will be based at New Balance’s European headquarters in Amsterdam.
“We are excited to have Mathias re-join us to lead our efforts in the region as we capitalize on our brand’s energy and momentum,” says Joe Preston, President & CEO at New Balance. “Mathias has a proven track record of success and his leadership skills, industry experience and expertise in digital and omnichannel opportunities will drive our future success.”
Boenke studied Business Administration at the University of Regensburg in Germany and the University of Edinburgh, UK.
About New Balance
New Balance Athletics, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. Manufactured in the U.S. for more than 75 years and representing a limited portion of our U.S. sales, New Balance MADE U.S. is a premium collection that contains a domestic value of 70% or greater. New Balance owns and operates four factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 7,000 associates around the globe and in 2020 reported worldwide sales of $3.3 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com and for the latest press information please visit http://newbalance.newsmarket.com.