Wolverine Worldwide Inc., the portfolio operator of lifestyle and footwear brands in Rockford, north of Grand Rapids, has made several senior leadership appointments.
Chris Hufnagel was named president of Wolverine Worldwide. He will be responsible for leading and driving strategy across the company’s portfolio of footwear brands, along with leading its consumer marketing and insights teams.
Hufnagel’s 14-year career with the company has included serving as global brand president of CAT Footwear, global brand president of Merrell, and most recently as president of the company’s active group, with responsibility for Merrell, Saucony, Chaco, kids group, and global licensing.
In earlier roles at Wolverine Worldwide, he was president of direct-to-consumer and corporate senior vice president and head of strategy. Hufnagel has also held senior leadership roles at Under Armour, Gap, and Abercrombie & Fitch. As the company’s president, Hufnagel will continue to report to Brendan Hoffman, CEO of Wolverine Worldwide.
“Our strategy for long-term growth includes building stronger brands that resonate more meaningfully with our consumers around the globe,” says Hoffman. “Chris’ diverse and broad experience as the leader of our largest global brands make him the best choice to lead the implementation of this strategy across our entire footwear brand portfolio as president and take a broader leadership role at the company.”
“I’m thrilled to become Wolverine Worldwide’s next president,” says Hufnagel. “I look forward to working with our incredible team across our amazing portfolio of brands to drive sustainable growth for the company – leading with product innovation and building even stronger connections with our consumers around the world.”
Wolverine Worldwide also announced two additional key brand leadership appointments. Janice Tennant is to serve as global brand president of Merrell and Rob Griffiths is to serve as global brand president of Saucony.
Tennant has served as chief marketing officer of Merrell since 2020, after joining the company as chief marketing officer of CAT Footwear in 2018. She has received several industry awards, including most recently being named to Forbes Magazine’s “2023 Entrepreneurial CMOs 50” list. Before joining the company, Tennant held a series of senior marketing and other roles with Kimberly-Clark and PepsiCo. She will report to Hufnagel.
Griffiths has served Wolverine Worldwide as managing director of Middle East and Africa (EMEA) since 2021, responsible for leading the company’s commercial operations in this key region. In earlier roles, he served as vice president and general manager of Merrell in Europe and EMEA, as well as vice president and general manager of lifestyle brands in EMEA. Prior to joining Wolverine Worldwide in 2013, Griffiths spent 15 years with global brands Esprit and Umbro. He will report to Hufnagel.
“Merrell and Saucony are two of the brands we believe have the largest global growth potential within the portfolio, and we intend to focus our efforts and investments on these key brands,” says Hoffman. “I’m extremely excited to promote Janice and Rob, and I am confident these strong, experienced leaders will help drive our global strategy and position Wolverine Worldwide for long-term success.”
