ROCKFORD, Mich., June 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolverine Worldwide
(NYSE: WWW) today announced important organizational changes to
strengthen its senior leadership team and help accelerate global
growth.
International business development has long been a key driver
for Wolverine Worldwide, and in 2011, the Company created a
stand-alone International Group to place more focus on accelerating
global growth and capitalizing on the significant opportunities
that exist for the Company's portfolio of 16 lifestyle
brands. Today, Wolverine is pleased to announce that
James D. Zwiers has been appointed
President of the International Group. Mr. Zwiers has held
numerous and increasingly significant leadership roles during his
16 years with the Company, including President, Performance Group;
President, Outdoor Group; President, Hush Puppies USA; and Senior Vice President with
responsibilities for strategy, business development, consumer
direct and legal.
Wolverine's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Blake W. Krueger, commented, "Our global
business model is one of the key differentiators for Wolverine, and
Jim Zwiers is uniquely qualified to
lead the International Group as the Company expands the reach of
its brands around the world. Jim has held significant
leadership roles with some of the largest and most international
brands in our portfolio, and we are excited to add his talent,
passion and experience to the International Group – he is the right
leader at the right time for this important part of our
business."
The Company is also pleased to announce that James A. Gabel will succeed Mr. Zwiers as
President of the Performance Group, which is comprised of the
Merrell, Saucony, Chaco, Cushe and Patagonia Footwear brands.
Mr. Gabel brings to Wolverine a deep passion for performance
brands, having most recently served as President of adidas Group
Canada, where he was responsible for the successful growth and
development of the adidas, Reebok, Rockport, Ashworth, Adams Golf
and TaylorMade brands. Prior to that, Mr. Gabel was President
of Reebok North America and also previously served in a variety of
key roles with other performance brands that included Champion and
Mizuno. Mr. Gabel will report directly to Mr. Krueger and
represents a key addition to the Company's senior leadership
team.
"Jim Gabel is a well-respected
and proven leader in our industry," said Mr. Krueger. "Jim's
extensive experience building performance footwear and apparel
brands and successful track record driving growth across multiple
consumer channels make him an ideal leader for the Performance
Group. We are thrilled to welcome Jim to our leadership team
and expect him to have a powerful impact on the global reach and
growth of the Performance Group brands and the Company's broader
strategic initiatives."
"It is an exciting opportunity to work with the industry-leading
brands that are part of Wolverine Worldwide's Performance Group,"
said Mr. Gabel. "Merrell and Saucony are powerhouse brands,
and combined with the brand propositions of Chaco, Cushe and
Patagonia Footwear, this is a unique and compelling opportunity
within our industry. I am privileged to join Wolverine and
lead the teams that are driving innovation and growth for these
tremendous brands."
The Company also announced the appointment of Andrew Simister as President of the Company's
Lifestyle Group, which is comprised of Sperry Top-Sider, Hush
Puppies, Keds and the Stride Rite Children's Group. Most
recently, Mr. Simister was President of the Lacoste Footwear brand
for Pentland Brands, where he also
served on its Executive Leadership team. Prior to his time at
Pentland, Mr. Simister served in key leadership roles with
Puma. Mr. Simister is a proven global brand leader who has a
successful track record of building strong teams and delivering
consistent top and bottom-line results. Mr. Simister will
report directly to Mr. Krueger and join the Company's senior
leadership team.
"We are very fortunate at Wolverine Worldwide to be recognized
in our industry for the strength and depth of our leadership team,"
said Mr. Krueger. "Andy
Simister adds to this team with his global brand-building
point-of-view and exceptional leadership qualities, and we're
excited to have him join the Company. I look forward to
Andy's valuable contributions in not only leading the Lifestyle
Group, but also the Company's planned future global success through
its significant family of brands."
"I have long admired Wolverine Worldwide and its impressive
portfolio of world-class brands," said Mr. Simister. "I am
thrilled to bring my experience and passion for building brands and
leading teams to this dynamic Company. The opportunity to
lead not only one of the world's most-loved brands, Hush Puppies,
but also industry-leading brands such as Sperry Top-Sider and
Stride Rite, along with Keds and its tremendous growth story, is
simply a privilege."
The Company also announced the retirement of William J.B. Brown, a 27-year veteran of
Wolverine. Mr. Brown, who in addition to being the first
President of the International Group, held many key leadership
roles within the Company during his long and successful career and
has been instrumental in the global expansion of Wolverine
Worldwide's portfolio of brands.
Mr. Krueger concluded, "The leadership changes announced today
represent the next step in the evolution of Wolverine
Worldwide. We are extremely pleased to be able to attract the
industry's best and brightest, and also develop key talent within
our own organization. These changes help position our Company for
future growth and success. Finally, I want to personally
thank Bill Brown for his service and
unparalleled dedication to the Company during his career and wish
him only the best in his well-deserved retirement."
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
Top-Sider®, Hush Puppies®,
Saucony®, Wolverine®, Keds®,
Stride Rite®, Sebago®, Cushe®,
Chaco®, Bates®, HYTEST®, and Soft
Style®. The Company also is the global footwear
licensee of popular brands including
Cat®, Harley-Davidson® and
Patagonia®. The Company's products are carried by
leading retailers in the U.S. and globally in over 200 countries
and territories. For additional information, please visit our
website, www.wolverineworldwide.com.
These statements are not guarantees of future performance and
involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions ("Risk
Factors") that are difficult to predict with regard to timing,
extent, likelihood, and degree of occurrence. Risk Factors
include, among others: the Company's ability to continue to
integrate and realize the benefits of the PLG Acquisition on a
timely basis or at all; the Company's ability to successfully
develop its brands and businesses; changes in interest rates, tax
laws, duty structures, tariffs, quotas, or applicable assessments
in countries of import and export including anti-dumping measures
and trade defense actions; changes in consumer preferences,
spending patterns, buying patterns, or price sensitivity; changes
in future pension funding requirements and pension expenses; the
ability to secure and protect owned intellectual property or use
licensed intellectual property; cancellation of orders for future
delivery, or the failure of the Department of Defense to exercise
future purchase options or award new contracts, or the cancellation
of existing contracts by the Department of Defense or other
military purchasers; changes in planned customer demand, re-orders,
or at-once orders; changes in relationships with, including the
loss of, significant customers; the availability and pricing of
footwear manufacturing capacity; reliance on foreign sourcing;
failure of international licensees and distributors to meet sales
goals or to make timely payments on amounts owed; disruption of
technology systems; regulatory or other changes affecting the
supply or price of materials used in manufacturing; the impact of
regulatory or legal proceedings and legal compliance risks; the
availability of power, labor, and resources in key foreign sourcing
countries, including China; the
cost, availability, and management of raw materials, inventories,
services, and labor for owned and contract manufacturers; the
impact of competition and pricing; the impact of changes in the
value of foreign currencies; the development of new initiatives;
the risks of doing business in developing countries and politically
or economically volatile areas; retail buying patterns;
consolidation in the retail sector; changes in economic and market
conditions; acts and effects of war and terrorism; seasonality and
weather; problems affecting the Company's distribution system,
including service interruptions at shipping and receiving ports;
the failure to maintain the security of personally identifiable and
other information of customers, stockholders, and employees; and
additional factors discussed in the Company's reports filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission and exhibits thereto.
The foregoing Risk Factors, as well as other existing Risk Factors
and new Risk Factors that emerge from time to time, may cause
actual results to differ materially from those contained in any
forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties,
investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements as a prediction of actual results. Furthermore,
the Company undertakes no obligation to update, amend, or clarify
forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Wolverine Worldwide