Silvia Tallon joins Reebok India as its first non Indian head

Adidas India wants to bring back Reebok to life in India. The process has already begun with the appointment of Silvia Tallon as Head of Reebok India. It is upon her to revive the brand that has been languishing in the Indian market for last five years.

Tallon was previously working with Russian apparel brand O’stin. She has been in the marketing of fashion and sportswear brands for almost three decades. At Reebok, she will now have to sharpen its positioning, leverage the e-commerce channel for growth and engage India with global counterparts. She is the first non-Indian to head Reebok in India since it made its entry in 1995. Definitely, it will be a tough job for Tallon to revive Reebok in the Indian market where she has not worked before.

In 2005, Adidas took over Reebok globally; this happened when financial irregularities by a few members of former Reebok India management team were discovered. In the fiscal ended March 2015, Reebok’s total revenues in India stood at Rs 333 crorse, less than half of Adidas at Rs 805.13 crores. In the last few years, Reebok’s retail footprint was reduced to about 250 stores from more than 800 in 2013-14.

Reebok is being repositioned as a fitness brand with a strong focus on women. Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut is the brand ambassador for Reebok. The German sportswear retailer is planning to seek government nod for 100 per cent FDI to open company owned stores for brand Reebok in India. Presently it operates through distributors.