Rene Jaki

Renejaki is an internationally renowned CEO who reversed Adidas' business failure and saved the German football club Kaiserslautern from bankruptcy. At the beginning of his career, Rene worked in marketing at Reynolds Tobacco and Kings Battery. In 1986, he became the Vice President of Marketing at Adidas, and in 1987, he became the CEO of the group and began a five-year rectification project. He shifted production to low-cost countries and repositioned Adidas as a brand to reduce costs. After leaving Adidas, he became an active investor in several companies, such as German shoe brands Romika and Head, to help them recover profits. From 1991 to 1996, he served as the President of Basel Football Club in Switzerland. During his tenure, the club moved to a new sports stadium and participated in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. Afterwards, he went to Kaiserslautern Football Club in Germany, and this time he faced even greater challenges. Despite its long history, the club is heavily indebted and accused of management corruption. He reduced his salary bill and reduced the club's debt, making the Kaiserslautern Football Club Stadium one of the venues for the 2006 World Cup. At the end of 2006, he resigned from the club. Currently, Rene is active in the biodiesel industry and serves as a director of multiple companies. As an early enthusiast of judo, Rene firmly believes that exercise has given him discipline, mobility, and the ability to climb up after falling, experience failure, and grow from it.