BERLIN — Puma’s former chief executive officer Franz Koch is now a managing partner at Berlin eyewear firm Mykita.
It marks the second corporate addition at the growing company. Bernd Beetz, a past ceo of Coty Inc., was named a partner in February alongside Mykita cofounder, ceo and creative director Moritz Krueger.
Krueger and Koch will now lead Mykita’s daily operations together as managing partners, while Beetz will be a consultant to the company. All three are shareholders in the firm.
Mykita’s eyewear is designed, manufactured and hand-assembled in Berlin. The brand has 10 owned shops, and its frames and sunglasses are sold by opticians and retailers in more than 80 countries.
Mykita has a series of designer collaborations with fashion labels, including Damir Doma and Maison Margiela, and launched a children’s line, called Mykita First, this month.
Koch began working at Puma in 2007. During his tenure there, he served as the company’s head of global strategy, then later as its ceo, a role he stepped down from in March 2013.
At Mykita, Koch will oversee business-to-business sales, production, finance, information technology and human resources, while Krueger will concentrate on design, brand and business-to-consumer sales.
For 2014, Mykita reported sales of 28 million euros, or $37.2 million at average exchange, and double-digit global growth for the year.
