Decathlon announces new leadership structure for UK & Ireland

Elena Pecos has been CEO of Decathlon Ireland since 2023 and will now lead the UK too Romain Gravigny announced as new COO for UK & Ireland.

September 9, 2025

Decathlon has announced a new leadership structure for its UK & Ireland business, with Elena Pecos appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Romain Gravigny as Chief Operating Officer. Pecos will take over from Eric Mazillier, marking the start of a new chapter as the two territories officially combine operations under one leadership team.

Elena, who most recently led Decathlon Ireland as CEO, will now take the helm across both the UK & Ireland following the integration of the businesses. Pecos brings a wealth of experience across both retail and finance. Since joining Decathlon in Spain in 2006, she has held roles spanning store management, finance leadership in Spain and France, and CFO positions internationally in Chile and within the Circular Economy team, before taking the top role in Ireland in 2023.

Romain has been with Decathlon for over two decades, with extensive experience leading store networks and operations across multiple markets, including most recently being CEO at Decathlon Australia. He now steps into the role of COO for the UK & Ireland, where he will focus on driving operational excellence, customer experience, and growth for both markets.

The leadership transition comes at a time of renewed momentum for Decathlon in both the UK and Ireland, following a year of significant investment and transformation. In 2024, the UK business modernised 15 flagship stores, launched a new e-commerce platform and completed a warehouse automation project which is already generating results with turnover across all sales channels up +15% in the first half of 2025. In Ireland, turnover grew +20% in the first half of the year, alongside the modernisation of one flagship store.

The company also continues to make progress on its sustainability and people commitments. In the UK, employee engagement scores rose to 92% in 2024, while more than 110,000 circular services including repairs, refurbishments, and buybacks were delivered to customers. In Ireland, employee engagement reached 86%, circular economy growth was up +85%, and the business deepened community ties through new partnerships with Padel LK in Limerick and Na Fianna CLG in Dublin. Decathlon Ireland also saw strong cultural momentum, with TikTok videos reaching more than 900,000 views.

“It’s an incredibly exciting moment for Decathlon in the UK and Ireland to come together, and it’s an honour to be leading the way” said Elena Pecos. “Together with Romain and our teams, we will build upon the great work Eric has delivered to produce a promising 2025, and continue to press ahead with our digital acceleration across the Decathlon UK & Ireland that has brought us closer to our customers and continues to make sport even more accessible to communities across both countries.”

Romain Gravigny added: “With strong foundations already in place and ambitious growth plans ahead, it’s a privilege to take on the role of COO at Decathlon UK. Having been a part of the business for over 20 years, I understand the importance of keeping customers at the heart of everything we do and our transformation strategy in-store and online will continue to deliver on our promise of helping everyone discover the wonder of sports.”

Part of the global Decathlon Group, which reported €16.2 billion turnover in 2024 and operates 1,815 stores worldwide, Decathlon UK & Ireland runs 45 stores, logistics, and support functions. Its mission remains simple yet powerful: to move people through the wonders of sport and has a predicted turnover of €460 million across Decathlon in UK & Ireland for 2025.

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