Wolverine World Wide Inc. on Wednesday announced the addition of veteran merchandising and branding expert Angelo Ng as the company’s first-ever chief merchant officer.
Ng, pictured right, brings more than 25 years of merchandising, sourcing and marketing experience from a variety of respected apparel, footwear and accessories brands. Over the course of 18 years, Ng held multiple merchandising roles of increasing responsibility for both the Levi’s and Dockers brands in Europe, America and Asia.
Most recently, he served as vice president of Levi’s men’s, collections, collaborations and accessories merchandising. Prior to joining Levi’s, Ng held various managerial roles in both merchandising and sourcing at Nike Europe.
“We’re thrilled to add Angelo to our leadership team,” said Blake W. Krueger, chairman, CEO and president of Wolverine World Wide. “We believe his passion and strategic vision, as well as his global industry experience, will be instrumental as we continue to pursue our Global Growth Agenda. Angelo is a perfect fit for our first chief merchant officer.”
Ng realized his love of clothing while growing up in Amsterdam and soon switched from the retail to the vendor side of the business. He has worked across Europe, gaining experience in design, sourcing, sales, athletic apparel and more, before overseeing three factories in the United Kingdom.
“I’m honored to have been selected as Wolverine’s first chief merchant officer,” Ng said. “I was attracted to Wolverine because of the company’s brand portfolio, demonstrated success and incredible team. I look forward to establishing the merchant mindset and acumen to drive accelerated growth and to further establish Wolverine as a market-leading footwear and apparel company.”
In this newly created role, Ng will lead the merchandising growth strategy and innovation roadmap for the portfolio of brands. Ng will focus on aligning consumer insights, market intelligence, advanced concepts, trends and strategy to support Wolverine’s Global Growth Agenda. Improving alignment will allow for greater speed and agility in making better-informed business decisions and streamlining distribution.
“Merchandising is a critical function to shape the future,” Ng said. “I want consumers to think of Wolverine brands first when purchasing footwear, apparel and accessories for their sporting, outdoor or work lifestyle needs.”
Ng holds a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from the Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.
The company’s brands include Bates, Chaco, Hush Puppies, HyTest, Keds, Merrell, Saucony, Sperry and Wolverine. The Cat and Harley-Davidson brands are licensed for footwear.
