Wolverine World Wide, Inc. will see its current president and COO, Blake W. Krueger take on the role of CEO at the company's annual meeting of shareholders in April.

“I am extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Blake W. Krueger, President and COO, to the position of Chief Executive Officer to be effective at our April annual meeting of shareholders,” stated Timothy J. O'Donovan, the Company's Chairman and CEO. “After a comprehensive 18-month succession planning process, the Board of Directors earlier today unanimously endorsed my recommendation of this promotion. I will continue as Chairman of the Board with a primary focus of working closely with Blake to further develop our current growth initiatives and identify new opportunities.”

“Wolverine has the global team and infrastructure in place to continue the outstanding growth and consistent earnings performance the Company has achieved over the past five years,” said Krueger. “With a 123-year history of building strong global brands, the future for the Company has never been brighter. Wolverine is on a clear path for success and poised to continue growth from both our core brands and new initiatives, while delivering an excellent return on investment for our shareholders.”

Krueger currently serves as President and COO of Wolverine World Wide and has been a Director of the company since July 2006. Previously, he served as President of the Heritage Brands Group, one of the company's four branded global operating units where he spearheaded the successful revitalization of the global Caterpillar Footwear business that has led to significant sales and profit increases during the past several years. Prior to that position, he served for 10 years as an Executive Vice President and Officer of the company with responsibilities for the human resources, retail, business development, accessory licensing, acquisitions and legal areas.