Asics announced the pending retirement of Asics America Group President and CEO, Kevin Wulff, and the hiring of industry veteran Gene McCarthy to join the company as the CEO of its largest region, which comprises the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. McCarthy, who most recently led Merrell, will join the company effective Oct. 1, and Wulff will retire at the end of this year.
In early May, Wolverine World Wide confirmed that McCarthy, Merrell brand’s president since August 2013, had left the company.
Wulff, who formerly led Pony and American Sporting Goods after a long stint at Nike, joined Asics America as president in February 2010 and was named CEO in August 2010. Over his tenure, annual sales grew from approximately $680 million to a record of over $1 billion in 2014. Milestones include expanding the apparel category past the $100 million mark and successfully repositioning Asics as a leading multi-sport brand with bigger pushes into training and tennis and its entry into golf. He transformed Asics' lifestyle category, restructured and strengthened the Americas leadership team, and launched direct-to-consumer, including opening several flagship stores.
Asics said Wulff “was instrumental in expanding the business in the Americas, solidifying subsidiaries in Brazil and Canada,” as well as opening its newly-opened subsidiary in Mexico.” The brand is also set for future growth with its new distribution center in Byhalia, MI, and a state-of-the-art Asics campus in Irvine, CA, featuring a world-class sports performance center.
“Asics America is very well-positioned for continued success, thanks in large part to Kevin's efforts over the last five years,” said Motoi Oyama, CEO, Asics Corporation. “We are also thrilled to welcome industry veteran Gene McCarthy to the Asics family, and believe he is the perfect person to help drive our business and brand forward, given his impressive track record and vision in the industry.”
As president of Merrell, McCarthy managed all aspects of its worldwide business. Past jobs have included SVP of footwear for Under Armour, co-president at Timberland and SVP of global footwear for Reebok. Before those positions, he spent 21 years in sales and marketing positions at Nike, including global director of sales and retail marketing for Brand Jordan.
“Asics is an amazing brand with so much loyalty and credibility among its global consumer base,” said McCarthy. “As a lifelong athlete with an immense respect for the brand, I am honored to have been selected to help take Asics America into its next phase of growth during such a dynamic time in our industry.”
