French sporting goods retailer Decathlon has appointed Barbara Martin Coppola as its new CEO. 

Coppola will succeed Michel Aballea, who has worked with Decathlon since 2015. The appointment will take effect in March. 

“We are convinced that Barbara will be able to lead this transformation while respecting our values,” said Fabien Derville, chairman of Decathlon. 

The new binational CEO has a strong digital and business background, developed during more than 20 years working and living in nine countries worldwide. Coppola held leading positions in several global businesses including Ikea, Google, YouTube, Samsung and Texas Instruments.

Decathlon currently operates more than 1697 stores across 70 countries and regions. 

“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.”