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"If I no longer had the ambition and the energy,
and the firm belief that I can bring the company further
forward, then I would stop immediately," Herbert Hainer was
quoted as saying by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily.
Hainer, who has been CEO since 2001, had his contract extended
until 2017 last year to allow the company to work on a
succession plan, but some investors have suggested a change at
the top should come sooner.
Hainer admitted he had made mistakes, such as rolling out too
many new golf products just as the market was contracting, but
said he had been surprised by the personal criticism after a
series of profit warnings.
"Suddenly, everything that was right for 12 years, was wrong,"
he told the newspaper.
Hainer said the world's second-biggest sportswear group was
fighting back, launching the biggest marketing campaign in the
company's history in February with a particular focus on the key
U.S. market, even if "there are no overnight solutions there".
Adidas last week reported a better-than-expected rise in 2014
sales as it announced the sale of its Rockport shoe brand.
Helped by the 2014 soccer World Cup and the victory of the
German team Adidas sponsors, Hainer said soccer sales had
reached a record 2.1 billion euros ($2.4 billion), ahead of his
2 billion target.
($1 = 0.8801 euros)
(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; editing by David Clarke)
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