Wolverine World Wide made organizational promotions in its Outdoor Group. The Outdoor Group consists of the Merrell, Sebago and Patagonia footwear businesses and is led by Jacques Lavertue, Group President. This group has achieved eight consecutive years of double-digit growth and is establishing the resource structure to support its continued expansion and the successful launch of the Patagonia Footwear and Merrell Apparel initiatives.
Scott Sible has been promoted to Group Vice President & General Manager –
Merrell Footwear. In this new role, Mr. Sible will have full responsibility
for Merrell Footwear global operations, including brand management, sales and
marketing. Scott joined the Company in 1999 and has been actively involved in
all facets of Outdoor Group strategy and product initiatives in preparation
for this expanded role. Scott has played a major role in leading the US
Merrell Footwear business to sales growth of over 450% in the last seven
years.
Rod Stafford has been promoted to Group Vice President & General Manager –
Sebago Footwear. In his eight years at the Company, Mr. Stafford has held
senior positions in the international operations of the Sebago, Merrell and
CAT brands and has been a key driver of the Company's global expansion through
international distributors. Rod will now be responsible for the global brand
development, sales and marketing of Sebago Footwear.
Craig Throne has been promoted to Group Vice President & General Manager –
Patagonia Footwear. Mr. Throne will lead the new Patagonia Footwear
initiative on a global basis, with the initial launch of product anticipated
for the spring 2007 season. Craig, who joined Wolverine in 1999, was
initially responsible for the European Sales initiatives for Merrell Footwear
and most recently served as Regional Manager for the Asia Pacific region.
Craig has been instrumental in the development of the Merrell brand and has
generated significant revenue gains in the Asian market.
Onder Ors has been promoted to join the Outdoor Group as Group Vice President – International. In this role, Mr. Ors will have global responsibility for all of the Outdoor Group brands and operations with third-
party distributors. Onder has been with the Company for over eight years and
has held positions of increasing responsibility within the Wolverine Footwear
Group. In his most recent position as Vice President and General Manager of
the Bates Footwear operation, Onder was successful in significantly growing
Bates' sales and advancing its leadership position.
Charles Willis, currently Creative Director for the Outdoor Group, has
been promoted to Group Vice President – Creative Director. In this role,
Charles will continue to lead the strategic direction, innovation and product
development of the Outdoor Group.
Tobin Teichgraeber has joined the Outdoor Group as Creative Director –
Merrell Apparel. Mr. Teichgraeber will lead the design and development effort
for the Merrell Apparel initiative, which is scheduled to be at retail in fall
2007. Tobin has over 12 years of experience in the outdoor and apparel sector
and most recently was the senior design director at Helly Hanson responsible
for the Mountain and Alpine product lines.
In addition to these organizational changes, Christian Triquet, President
of Merrell Canada, and Mike Lynskey, Managing Director – Merrell Europe, will
both continue to be responsible for the Outdoor Group business across all
brands in these key international markets.
Commenting on the announcements, Jacques Lavertue, President of the
Outdoor Group, stated, “I am very pleased to announce this realignment of the
Outdoor Group team and the promotion of several of our key managers. Each of
these individuals has demonstrated exceptional operational skills and a
commitment to the success of the Outdoor Group. The incredible growth of the
Merrell business has been the result of a very focused approach, and this
realignment ensures that the focus and attention needed for continued success
is firmly entrenched across all of our initiatives. We have assembled one of
the strongest management teams in the outdoor industry, and I am confident in
the team's ability to maximize these growing businesses.”
Tim O'Donovan, Chairman and CEO, stated, “As a Company, we are focused on
organizational development, and the promotions announced today strengthen our
Outdoor Group management. In his eight years with the Company, Jacques has
led the Merrell brand and his operational team to a commanding leadership
position in outdoor footwear. These promotions build on a strong
organizational foundation and provide the future leadership needed to
successfully pursue the exciting growth opportunities in the Outdoor Group.”
