Wolverine World Wide's Outdoor Group announced two key executive appointments to drive strategic growth for Merrell and Chaco. Seth Cobb has been named vice president and general manager of Merrell and Chip Coe will serve as vice president and general manager of Chaco. Both positions are effective immediately.
“The Outdoor Group delivered both record revenue and earnings in 2010, and these leadership promotions will provide additional brand focus to fuel continued momentum for Merrell and Chaco,” said Jim Zwiers, president of the WWW Outdoor Group. “Our strong global brands are driving industry leading product innovation and forging strong connections with consumers. To drive further success, we have appointed dedicated executive leaders for the Merrell and Chaco brands to lead global brand strategies for long-term growth. We look forward to the leadership that Seth and Chip will bring in their new roles and to continued success for the business and our team members.”
Cobb has been a key leader for Merrell for more than 15 years and most recently served as general manager of the Merrell US business, the brand's largest region. In the newly created position of vice president and general manager of Merrell, Cobb will be responsible for driving the Merrell business strategy and growth initiatives on a global basis, and he will retain direct responsibility for the Merrell U.S. business. In addition to the Merrell U.S. business, Merrell global marketing will now report directly to Cobb, as he leads the development of global strategies that align product, distribution, and marketing initiatives. Cobb will head global business strategy aligned with Craig Throne (global marketing), Bill Dodge (global product), Christian Triquet (Canada), Linda Brunzell (international), Jean-Pierre Petit (EMEA), Mark Sandquist (global apparel), and Chris Hufnagel (global retail).
Continued Zwiers, “Since acquiring Chaco in early 2009, we have successfully integrated the brand into the Outdoor Group and provided the necessary resources to exceed our plans and lay a strong foundation for future growth. I am pleased to announce the promotion of Chip Coe to head the Chaco brand and drive accelerated global growth for Chaco. Chip is recognized in the industry for brand building and product innovation and will align our product, marketing and distribution as we pursue the bright future for Chaco.”
In his new role as vice president and general manager, Coe will lead Chaco on a global basis. Reporting directly to Coe will be Brandan Hill, director of product development; Whitney Conner, marketing manager; and Tom Stolz, national sales manager. Coe has more than 11 years of experience in the outdoor industry. Prior to joining Wolverine World Wide, Coe was President and CEO of Smartwool and a partner in Teko, a performance sock brand.
