Wolverine Worldwide plans to migrate from four to three brand Operating Groups following following its October 2012 acquisition of the Performance & Lifestyle Group (PLG), which gave it the Sperry Top-Sider, Saucony, Keds and Stride Rite brands.
The three operating groups are:
The Performance Group-comprising of the Merrell, Saucony, Chaco, Patagonia Footwear, and Cushe brands-will be led by Jim Zwiers. Zwiers has led the former Outdoor Group since 2009. He has held a variety of senior roles in retail, legal, administration, international, business strategy and development, and global brand leadership during his 15-year career with Wolverine Worldwide.
The Heritage Group-comprising of the Wolverine, Caterpillar Footwear, Bates, Sebago, Harley-Davidson Footwear, and HyTest brands-will be led by Ted Gedra. Gedra has been a group president since 2007 and has held several senior management positions during his 27-year career with Wolverine Worldwide.
The Lifestyle Group-comprising of the Sperry Top-Sider, Stride Rite Children’s Group, Hush Puppies, Keds, and Soft Style brands-will be led by Mark Neal. Neal previously served as group president for Hush Puppies, Soft Style, and Cushe and is adding three PLG brands (Sperry Top-Sider, Stride Rite Children’s Group, and Keds) to his responsibilities. He has held senior management roles of increasing responsibility during his 18-year tenure with the company.
The company also announced that Gregg Ribatt, former CEO and president of the Performance & Lifestyle Group, will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities outside the industry following a transition period. Ribatt had led PLG for the last five years.
“These organizational changes represent a significant step forward for our company following the acquisition of PLG,” said Blake W. Krueger, Wolverine Worldwide chairman and CEO, in a statement. “We have one of the most dynamic brand portfolios in the world today, a proven business model focused on driving top and bottom line growth, and one of the deepest and best management teams in the industry.”
