After Todd Krinsky graduated from college in 1992, he decided to try his luck in the sneaker business and got a job in Reebok’s mailroom. Thirty years later, he’d worked his way up to CEO.

But Krinsky’s story isn’t just one of a self-described sneakerhead whose love of shoes translated to career success—it’s also about patience and reinvention. He stayed with Reebok after Adidas bought the brand in 2006, a time during which Reebok went from an innovative sports performance brand with an irreverent attitude to a more sedate fitness shoe brand playing second fiddle under Adidas. Soon after Authentic Brands bought Reebok in 2021, Krinsky was named its new CEO, starting the journey to rebuild the brand to its former market position.

Today’s edition of Forbes CEO focuses on Krinsky’s story, the challenges he’s faced, and what he’s doing to help pump Reebok back up.

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The Innovative Upstart

Todd Krinsky spent his teenage years selling athletic shoes at mall stores and playing basketball. Sneakers were a part of his life, he said, so taking a job out of college at Reebok was a logical move. At the time, he didn’t see it as the beginning of a long career, but Krinsky said he quickly fell in love with the brand, its culture and its business.

“I’ve always believed in the brand, whether we were on the high, or whether we were on the low,” Krinsky said. “I think that’s what’s kept me around.”

In the first phase of Krinsky’s time at Reebok—before the Adidas acquisition—he was known for connecting celebrities with interesting backstories with the brand. Even in the ‘90s, Reebok didn’t work with as many athletes as competitors in the space, but Krinsky helped focus on what he called quality over quantity. Reebok targeted athletes with stories that went beyond the game, including NBA star Allen Iverson and European soccer legend Thierry Henry. These athletes created signature shoes, playing up their personal stories in the marketing.

“We fused music, culture, and sport all in one to the consumer,” Krinsky said. “I think that’s a very common practice today, but back then we were very unique to do it.”

Ill-Fated Acquisition

In 2005, German athletic wear giant Adidas announced its intent to buy Reebok for $3.8 billion. The acquisition gave Adidas about 20% of the U.S. athletic shoe market, and analysts said the two brands together could join forces to take on market leader Nike. But Adidas would instead pivot Reebok from a sports and culture brand to a basic physical fitness brand—mainly to avoid competing with Adidas. Through the years, Reebok’s professional sports licenses ran out, and........

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