Hunter Boots announced that CEO Vincent Wauters, shown right, will step down “by mutual agreement” at the end of July to pursue new opportunities. His exit comes as Hunter begins a strategic review. Wauters joined Hunter in 2016 from Arc’teryx where he was president.
In other moves, Paolo Porta has joined Hunter as interim chief executive. Porta was formerly SVP of merchandising and licensing at Jimmy Choo. Andrew Lawley, who has been acting as chief restructuring officer during a recent refinancing, will become executive chairman.
Porta and Lawley will oversee the launch of the business’ strategic review that will focus on identifying new growth opportunities including the brand’s e-commerce potential. Last week, Hunter said it secured a £16.5 cash injection from Goldman Sachs. Searchlight and Pentland Group also contributed.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to lead Hunter over the last four years and together we achieved so much,” Wauters said in a statement. “I would like to thank the fantastic team for their dedication in making all this possible. There are few brands like Hunter in the world, and I will continue to watch the business closely as it continues its growth in the years to come.”
Porta said, “Vincent has achieved incredible success during his time at Hunter, transforming the company into the global business it is today. On behalf of the whole company, I would like to thank him for being such an inspiration, and we wish him great success in his new endeavors. With our recently strengthened balance sheet and support of our shareholders, the board and senior leadership team look forward to driving Hunter’s successful multi-geography, multi-channel offering forward.”
Lead photo courtesy Hunter Boots
