Two Ten Footwear Foundation, the national charitable foundation of the U.S. footwear industry, together with Presenting Sponsor Skechers, announced the recipients of its second annual Women In Footwear Industry (WIFI) Impact Awards. Six women will be honored during the cocktail and networking event, scheduled for Tuesday, February 13, during the FN PLATFORM trade show in Las Vegas.
The Two Ten WIFI Impact Awards, which include the Advancement, Influencer, Leadership and Community Awards, were developed to recognize industry women for their professional accomplishments, and for their commitment to the WIFI mission.
“The footwear industry has such a diverse and accomplished group of women. We are proud to recognize some of them in this forum,” said industry veteran Carol Baiocchi, who co-founded Two Ten WIFI in 2010 with Diane Sullivan, CEO, president and chairman of Caleres.
Sullivan, who will be on hand to present the awards, added, “Since the inception of WIFI, we have seen tremendous growth and sense of community among women in the footwear industry. The Impact Awards provide a forum for recognizing the industry’s influential women leaders in a visible and meaningful way, while elevating the importance and relevance of WIFI.”
The WIFI Advancement Award is given to a woman who has contributed to the advancement of women and female leaders in the industry. She is a trailblazer for women on her team, always searching for additional opportunities for their career growth and development. This year’s award will go to Wendy Wood Yang, President of HOKA, Teva and Sanuk at Deckers Brands, for her commitment to cultivating and elevating female talent in the footwear industry.
The WIFI Influencer Award recognizes a woman has been a trailblazer in the industry. She is a risk taker, and has done something extraordinary that sets her apart from her peers, all while staying true to herself. This year’s award will go to Jodie Fox, co-founder and chief creative officer of Shoes of Prey for her vision, leadership and creativity growing Shoes of Prey into a global, multi-million dollar enterprise through customization and on-demand manufacturing at scale, making minimum order quantity of one- and two-week replenishment cycles.
The WIFI Leadership Award recognizes a woman who has been in footwear for most of her career and is selected for her leadership, passion, reputation and impact on the footwear industry. This year the committee chose three senior leaders at Steve Madden who have made a significant contribution to the company’s success; Amelia Newton Varela, President, Gabriella Weiser, Vice President of Marketing and Karla Frieders, Chief Merchandising Officer.
The WIFI Community Award is reserved for a woman who has played a significant role in the growth of WIFI, actively encouraging women in the footwear industry to get involved through the mentoring program, national or regional WIFI events or participate in the lunch and learn program. This year’s honoree is Alison Prince, Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager, Full Price Women’s and Kids at Nordstrom, for her dedication and success growing the Seattle chapter of WIFI.
“Skechers is pleased to be the Presenting Sponsor of the Two Ten Footwear Foundation’s WIFI Impact Awards in 2018,” said Michael Greenberg, president, SKECHERS USA Inc. “There are so many talented women in the footwear industry whose significant contributions have helped shape the future of this business, and we are thrilled to support Two Ten in recognizing them for their efforts.”
