The Wolverine Worldwide, Inc. Board of Directors appointed Chris Hufnagel as president, CEO, and to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. He succeeds Brendan L. Hoffman, who is no longer with the company.

Hufnagel joined Wolverine Worldwide in 2008 and has worked in leadership roles across the organization. 

Before Hufnagel was appointed president in May 2023, he was president of the company’s Active Group, responsible for Merrell, Saucony, Chaco, the Kids Group, and Global Licensing. He was also Wolverine Worldwide’s global brand president of the Merrell brand and global brand president of CAT Footwear.

In earlier roles at Wolverine, Hufnagel was president of its direct-to-consumer business and SVP of strategy. Before joining Wolverine Worldwide, he held senior roles at Under Armour, Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Tom Long, chairman of Wolverine Worldwide’s Board, said, “The Board has confidence in Wolverine’s potential and capacity to deliver strong shareholder value on a sustained basis. This, of course, depends heavily on our continued ability to develop great products and build compelling brands. Chris has a demonstrated track record of successfully building global brands, and he has a deep understanding of the company, our people, and our priorities. We are confident in the company’s overarching strategy and in Chris and the team’s ability to execute it with substantially enhanced urgency and boldness.”

“I am honored to step in as CEO at this critical moment for the company,” said Hufnagel. “Wolverine Worldwide maintains some of the world’s most recognizable and loved lifestyle and footwear brands, and transforming our business to bring the full power of these brands to life will be a key driver of our success. I have had the privilege of working with many teams across this organization over the past 15 years, and we have what it takes to build a stronger, more resilient company. I look forward to working with the entire team to continue to improve profitability, generate growth, and create shareholder value.”

Long continued, “We are grateful to Brendan for his leadership over the past three years. He has played a key role in setting us on the path to simplify the business and prioritize our most important growth initiatives. We wish him the best in his next chapter.”

Photo courtesy Wolverine Worldwide