Previously chief digital officer for Ikea, Martin Coppola will join Decathlon in mid-March, succeeding Aballea who has been in the position since 2015. 

“The current good health of Decathlon and our strong ambitions encourage us to accelerate the transformation of our business model to better assert our position as a world leader in sport. We are convinced that Barbara will be able to lead this transformation while respecting our values,” says Fabien Derville, chairman of the board of Decathlon.

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With a digital and business background, Martin Coppola previously has held leading positions in several global businesses such as Ikea, Google, YouTube, Samsung and Texas Instruments. 

“I look forward to accelerating Decathlon’s global impact making sport accessible to millions of people,” she says. 

The French sporting goods company recently joined the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) as a contributor.

Since its first Restricted Substance List in 1998, Decathlon has been acting actively regarding the chemical risk, to guarantee the safety of users, coworkers, suppliers’ workers and the environment during the manufacturing, transportation, handling and use of Decathlon’s products.

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“Decathlon would like to engage its value chain in a more sustainable way to manage chemicals and to draw tomorrow’s ethics and its requirements. As a contributor,  Decathlon will act to reduce the impact of apparel and footwear industries on the environment and on human health to be aligned with Decathlon’s purpose: to be useful to people and to their planet,” Melany Auger, chemical safety manager at Decathlon, said upon joining.

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