Wolverine appoints new president, brand leadership

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Jun 1, 2023

Wolverine World Wide Inc. announced on Wednesday the appointment of Chris Hufnagel as president of Wolverine Worldwide. 

In this role, he will be responsible for leading and driving strategy across the company’s portfolio of footwear brands, and will lead consumer marketing and insights teams.

Wolverine Worldwide also announced the promotion of Janice Tennant as global brand president of Merrell and the promotion of Rob Griffiths as global brand president of Saucony.

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Hufnagel has a 14-year career with the company serving in roles including 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. 

“Our strategy for long-term growth includes building stronger brands that resonate more meaningfully with our consumers around the globe,” said Brendan Hoffman, Wolverine Worldwide’s chief executive officer, who Hufnagel will continue to report to.

“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,” added 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.”

Likewise, Tennant has served as chief marketing officer of Merrell since 2020, after joining the company as chief marketing officer of CAT Footwear in 2018. Before joining the company, she held a series of senior marketing and other roles with Kimberly-Clark and PepsiCo. 

Lastly, Griffiths has served Wolverine Worldwide as managing director of EMEA since 2021. In earlier roles, he served as VP and general manager of Merrell in EMEA and VP 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.

“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,” added 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.”