Reebok said that it does not expect any significant changes in its global brand marketing following his exit. The company has used the Arnell Group since 2001, but it was chief operating officer Jay Margolis who made the appointment not Pant.
Talking about his new yoga venture, which he will launch in the US and India, Pant said it was something he had always wanted to do.
"Because of the growth of email and voicemail and instant communications, there's a lot of growth in stress," Pant said. "Deadlines have shortened. People are moving faster in a direction that they don't pause to think about.
"I always wanted to start a concept where you could package and teach yoga," he said.
He is to be replaced by Dennis Baldwin, who is promoted from the role of senior vice-president of global footwear. Baldwin has been with the company since 1995, when he joined as marketing manager in licensing and new business. He was promoted to category director for Reebok Kids in 1996, and in 1999 took up the role of vice-president of Reebok Classic, working on the Classic print campaign in 2000.
Pant, whose real name is Muktesh, was promoted to the chief marketing role at Reebok in November 2001, after holding executive positions at the company in India and the US. He plans to fulfil a lifelong dream of getting back to his India roots with yoga, which originated in the sub-continent.
He said: "I am leaving Reebok with a sense of both excitement and sadness because I truly love the brand and will always be one of its most loyal ambassadors. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to go out and do something I have always dreamed of doing, and something that directly connects to my Indian heritage."
Reebok's most recent advertising push tried to take on the dominance of the Nike "swoosh" by using its "vector" symbol and the slogan "Outperform. Reebok". The company also uses Lowe for UK advertising, with the agency creating the lauded "sofa" campaign that saw a man being pursued by his couch as he tried to get out of the house to exercise.
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