Manchester-based athleisure specialist Adanola has named Gymshark’s ex-chief commercial officer, Niran Chana, as its new CEO, effective 20 June.

He’s moving from one fast-growing activewear specialist to another and will work alongside founder and current CEO Hyrum Cook who will move to a creative and strategy role.

Adanola hailed the fact that Chana drove “exponential growth of the women’s category in his tenure at [Gymshark]”. 

Chana’s track record is clearly a strong one and underlines the wider ambitions Adanola may have. Having overseen merchandising, marketing, trading and retail at Gymshark, he was also a key player in its deal with private equity firm General Atlantic that came with a brand valuation of £1 billion. Is Adanola looking at a similar trajectory? 

That’s certainly possible. A decade ago, it might have seemed that newer players had no chance of becoming globally known in a sport-to-street market dominated by giants like Nike and Adidas. But sector disruptors such as Gymshark, Castore and On have shown that the potential to grow fast — and big — is still there.

Established in 2015, Adanola reported a 311% increase in turnover for financial year 2022/23. 

Hyrum Cook said of the major leadership change: “Niran’s experience and knowledge of the industry will be an asset to the business as we enter a very exciting growth trajectory and, as we set our ambitious goals to have a more significant global presence. 

“Niran will play a key role in improving end-to-end operations for growth and efficient scaling, and the overall company strategy. 

“Stepping into a founder role, I will work very closely with Niran and the wider team and focus on the things that enabled me to found Adanola in the first place, including brand, product, culture, and community.” 

And Chana added: “I feel immensely humbled and motivated at the opportunity that lies ahead. Adanola is at the forefront of the consumer sector and their results to-date speak for themselves. The business is firmly positioned for the next chapter of growth. My job will be to build upon the strong foundations laid by the team, and guide Adanola through the next phase of their exciting journey.” 

That journey includes working on its US expansion this year with plans for consumer events in California and New York.