Panos Mytaros joined Bata Group as Global CEO on September 15, 2025.​​

He brings more than 30 years of experience in the global footwear and leather industry, most recently serving as CEO of ECCO, where he led the company through a period of modernization, digital growth, and international expansion.​

Panos began his career in technical leather and R&D roles across Europe before joining ECCO in 1994. Over the years, he held key leadership roles in Indonesia and Denmark, eventually leading ECCO Leather and then rising to Executive Vice President of ECCO Sko A/S. His work has been instrumental in strengthening supply chains, expanding into new markets, and driving product innovation.​

A graduate of the Tannery School in Reutlingen and the University of Tübingen, Panos also completed executive training in Denmark. ​

Known for his respect for craftsmanship and strategic vision, he now steps into the role at Bata to build on its heritage and lead the Group into its next phase of global growth.​

Gerd leads the Global Finance and Accounting functions, overseeing financial management worldwide at Bata Group. He has a deep expertise in managing finances for fast-paced, publicly listed companies with strong family-owned shareholder structures.

With over two decades in the industry, he is a seasoned Executive leader in Finance, particularly in global product-centric and omnichannel companies.

Gerd holds a Master's degree in Controlling, Strategy, and Marketing from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, and a CEMS Master of Management. He has been a CFA charter holder since 2010.

Luc joined Bata in December 2018; he is responsible for leading Bata’s Global Human Resources agenda. His career spans over 21 years of experience in Human resources and Business positions in leading groups. ​

Prior, he was Chief Human Resources Officer at Douglas, the leading premium beauty group in Europe. Luc has covered a large range of leading roles in international Groups from various Industries such as Kering, Gap, L'Oréal, Natixis/CNP. ​

Broad HR Generalist with strong expertise in Talent Management, Performance Management, Compensation and benefits, Industrial relations and Organization Effectiveness. Highly business oriented with a successful track record. ​

Luc holds a double master of business and labour Law and is also graduated from INSEAD.​

Xiaohan leads our legal function and contribute to the achievement of our Business Strategy. With over 17 years of international experience in both in-house and private practice settings across various global locations, including Paris, Singapore, and London, Xiaohan is well-versed in navigating international and multicultural environments.

Prior to joining Bata, she held the position of VP and Assistant General Counsel at CWT, a business travel management company, where she has over the years led legal teams, and provided legal and compliance business partnership to global business functions such as Finance, Growth, Partnerships, Strategy and Corporate Development.

Xiaohan is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales, and Singapore, and holds a degree of Laws from the National University of Singapore and a diploma on Financial Management from the London school of Business and Finance.

Sarah Sutton is Chief Marketing Officer at Bata, effective May 1, 2026. In this role, she leads the global re-ignition of the brand, driving a more impactful, consistent, and consumer-focused approach to brand building, activation, and marketing investment across all markets.

She brings over 25 years of experience at the intersection of brand, media, and culture, having worked with leading global companies including Nike, Google, Coca-Cola, Volvo, Oatly, and Marks & Spencer.

Sarah is recognized for building brands that connect meaningfully with consumers, combining strong creative direction with effective, results-driven execution.

Martino is the Chief Commercial Officer at Bata, based in Switzerland. In this role, he is responsible for driving commercial performance across markets, partnering with operating companies to accelerate growth, and strengthening execution across planning, trading, pricing, assortment, and go-to-market.

He brings over 20 years of international experience across retail, wholesale, and e-commerce, with a strong track record in commercial transformation, brand turnaround, and P&L management.

Most recently, he served as Worldwide Chief Commercial Officer at United Colors of Benetton, where he led a global turnaround and managed a €1.1bn business across regions and channels.

Barbara joined Bata 20 years ago and held several lead positions in Sales, Marketing and Product, spending long periods in different countries like Singapore, Chile and Perù, as Country Manager, before becoming Global Product Director.

With a love of shoes in her blood, Barbara’s drive and passion sees her managing a customer-oriented business to make Bata a top-of-mind shoe retailer.

Davide is the President of North Star at Bata, effective June 8, 2026, based in Padova. In this role, he leads the global sneaker business with full P&L responsibility, overseeing product, brand, and commercial performance to build a clear, competitive, and scalable global proposition.

He is responsible for defining the North Star product and brand architecture, elevating design and pricing coherence, and driving focused go-to-market and consumer activation strategies in close partnership with marketing and commercial teams.

Davide brings extensive international experience across leading brands including Karl Lagerfeld, Calvin Klein Jeans, Diesel, and Wrangler. He is recognized for combining strong product instinct, commercial discipline, and brand-building expertise to translate strategy into execution.

Miguel Esquide took over the position of as Chief Design Officer - Bata.

Miguel’s experience, spanning two decades with renowned brands, will be central to shaping Bata’s creative direction and strengthening its brand identity.

Miguel’s career highlights include co-founding the luxury brand 1CONCEPT—known for its bold aesthetics featured in Vogue and celebrated by cultural icons like Miley Cyrus and Rosalía—as well as leading footwear design and strategy at INDITEX for major labels such as Lefties, Zara, and Pull&Bear. His ability to craft collections that resonate with consumers and deliver impactful campaigns aligns perfectly with Bata’s vision of making stylish, accessible footwear for everyone.

David joined Bata as the Chief Supply Chain Officer in 2021 and is responsible for the Bata end-to-end Global Supply Chain Operations. 

David joins us after a long career in various Supply Chain and Sourcing Leadership roles with international Footwear brands including Nike, Clarks, and Columbia Sportswear and others.Having lived and worked all over Asia David brings with him many years of international supply chain & manufacturing experience.

David holds a degree in Statistics and Chinese Language from the University of Minnesota with post graduate studies in the field of Biostatistics.

Andrea is the President Europe and AW LAB at Bata. In this role, he is responsible for driving performance across the European region and leading the AW LAB business, with a focus on growth, profitability, and strong market execution.

He joined the Bata Group in 2017 as Head of Product & Merchandising for AW LAB, before becoming Country Manager of Bata Colombia in 2020, where he led the business across retail and manufacturing, including factory operations in Manizales. During his tenure, he successfully navigated the Covid-19 crisis and strengthened performance across channels.

Andrea returned to AW LAB leadership in 2024, where he successfully drove the business back to profitability prior to his current appointment.

Michael Wyatt is the President of Bata Africa-Middle East and Bata Industrials.

Since joining Bata in 2010, he has held leadership roles across three continents, including Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Country Manager for Central Europe, and Country Manager for South Africa.

Known for driving growth and innovation, Michael brings expertise in retail, manufacturing, marketing, and key account management.

Gunjan joined Bata in July 2021 as President of Bata India. He has extensive experience of working across varied sectors spanning Consumer Durables, Telecom and FMCG.

He brings to the table an innate knack for understanding consumers, passion for action, people development experience and clarity of thought and purpose.

In his previous role, Gunjan was the Chief Commercial Officer at Britannia Industries. He spent the early stages of his career working with brands such as Asian Paints and Motorola before moving on to Britannia in 2007.

Gunjan holds a degree in Technology from the University of Mumbai.