ROCKFORD, Mich., Feb. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolverine World
Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW) today announced a new brand operating group
structure and associated key leadership appointments.
Effective immediately, Wolverine Worldwide's family of brands
will be organized into three new brand operating groups:
- Wolverine Outdoor and Lifestyle Group – Merrell, Chaco,
Cat Footwear, Hush Puppies and Sebago
- Wolverine Boston Group – Sperry, Saucony, and Keds
- Wolverine Heritage Group – Wolverine, Bates,
Harley-Davidson Footwear and HyTest
The Company also operates a dedicated International Group
designed to drive growth in all regions outside of North America and the Consumer Direct Group
(including the Stride Rite Children's Group) that leads Wolverine's
direct-to-consumer initiatives.
WOLVERINE OUTDOOR AND LIFESTYLE GROUP
Jim Zwiers, an 18-year veteran of
the Company who most recently served as president of the
International Group, has been appointed president of the Wolverine
Outdoor and Lifestyle Group. Mr. Zwiers brings with him a
long record of success at the Company as a key strategic leader,
coupled with significant international experience to lead the
Company's largest brand operating group with the highest
international penetration. Mr. Zwiers has held numerous
executive roles at Wolverine, with previous leadership
responsibility over the Merrell, Chaco, and Hush Puppies
brands. In his new position, Mr. Zwiers will also serve as
president of Merrell until the ongoing search for this key role is
concluded.
WOLVERINE BOSTON
GROUP
Richie Woodworth, recently named
president of the Lifestyle Group, will now lead the Wolverine
Boston Group as president. Mr. Woodworth has more than 30
years of experience in branded footwear and apparel and has
continuously proven his ability to build brands and drive growth in
some of the most competitive categories in the industry.
Prior to his most recent appointment, Mr. Woodworth served nine
years as president of Saucony – one of the fastest growing and most
innovative brands within the Wolverine portfolio.
WOLVERINE HERITAGE GROUP
Ted Gedra, a 30-year veteran of
Wolverine Worldwide, will continue to serve as president of the
Wolverine Heritage Group. For the past nine years, Mr. Gedra
has delivered consistent results leading the Wolverine Heritage
Group and, prior to this role, held several other significant
leadership roles within the Company. Throughout his long
tenure with Wolverine, Mr. Gedra has built both strong brands and
exceptional teams, in addition to being a member of the Company's
senior management team.
INTERNATIONAL GROUP
In conjunction with Jim Zwiers'
new appointment, Nick Ottenwess has
been promoted to president of the International Group. Mr.
Ottenwess has over 25 years of experience with the Company, serving
in a variety of senior positions. Mr. Ottenwess is a seasoned
leader and has developed strong relationships both internally and
externally with key global partners. He has played a critical
role in developing and implementing the global growth plans for the
Company's portfolio of brands. Most recently, Mr. Ottenwess
was Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations for the
International Group, reporting directly to Mr. Zwiers.
"I am very excited about our new brand group structure and am
especially pleased that we have the talent and depth to promote
from within the organization," stated Blake
W. Krueger, Wolverine Worldwide's Chairman, Chief Executive
Officer and President. "Jim
Zwiers brings extensive international experience to our most
global brands, coupled with his prior experience in leading Hush
Puppies, Chaco and Merrell. Richie
Woodworth is a proven leader, innovator and brand-builder
with significant expertise in growing both performance and
lifestyle brands. Ted Gedra has been
and continues to be a key leader for the Company. Finally,
Nick Ottenwess is a veteran of the
Company and will be able to leverage his recent experience in the
International Group – working directly with the team and our more
than 200 international partners – in this important role leading
one of our most critical growth initiatives."
In their new roles, Mr. Zwiers, Mr. Woodworth, Mr. Gedra and Mr.
Ottenwess will all report directly to Mr. Krueger. The
Company also announced that Jim
Gabel has resigned his position as president of the
Performance Group and will be relocating back to Canada for personal reasons.
ABOUT WOLVERINE WORLDWIDE
With a commitment to service and product excellence, Wolverine
World Wide, Inc. is one of the world's leading marketers of branded
casual, active lifestyle, work, outdoor sport, athletic, children's
and uniform footwear and apparel. The Company's portfolio of
highly recognized brands includes: Merrell®,
Sperry®, Hush Puppies®, Saucony®,
Wolverine®, Keds®, Stride Rite®,
Sebago®, Chaco®, Bates®,
HYTEST®, and Soft Style®. The Company
also is the global footwear licensee of the popular brands
Cat® and Harley-Davidson®. The
Company's products are carried by leading retailers in the U.S. and
globally in approximately 200 countries and territories. For
additional information, please visit our website,
www.wolverineworldwide.com.
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SOURCE Wolverine World Wide, Inc.