Adidas' new 'Mr Perfect' faces hurdles in race against Nike

Adidas AG's incoming chief Kasper Rorsted faces major challenges when he takes over as the global sports brand's new CEO later this year as the company struggles to catch up with arch-rival Nike Inc, analysts said.

Investors feted the announcement on Monday that Adidas had successfully poached the 53-year-old Dane from consumer chemicals giant Henkel AG, with the group's shares the biggest gainers on the Frankfurt stock exchange.

"The reaction on the stock market speaks for itself," said a spokesman for Union Investment, a fund that is one of Adidas' 20 biggest shareholders.