Wolverine Worldwide has appointed Barry McGeough as vice president of advanced concepts and innovation. The 20-year footwear and technical gear industry veteran will help drive innovation across Wolverine Worldwide’s portfolio of 12 brands in the newly created role.
McGeough will help the company leverage new technologies, materials and other advancements to drive product innovations and digital transformation improvements in the customer experience. Notably, his insights will be key to understanding how exponential technologies like 5G, augmented reality, AI and virtual reality impact product development and retail businesses, both in-store and online.
McGeough’s previous professional career highlights include leading PVH Corporation’s global innovation division for brands like Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, building footwear and technical gear for The North Face, helping Olympic athletes like Michael Phelps shave milliseconds off their times through product innovation at Speedo, and designing solutions at Google ATAP that use connected apparel to keep gamers and workers safe.
“My career has centered around building out processes and solutions in multi-brand, matrixed environments that drive innovation, so I’m looking forward to working alongside each of Wolverine Worldwide’s brands to discover how we can improve our products and experiences to make them better for our consumers,” said McGeough, who will report to Angelo Ng, Chief Merchant Officer and a member of Wolverine Worldwide’s Executive Leadership Team.
“We created this position to remain actively engaged with our consumers’ needs across our portfolio while constantly seeking unique and innovative ways to improve our products and customer experience,” said Ng. “Barry’s expertise, foresight and ability to turn big ideas into significant and tangible advancements will keep Wolverine Worldwide in front of the latest industry and technology trends.”
McGeough holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California. He has been awarded numerous patents and presented as the keynote speaker at PI Apparel, HK Fashion Forum with HKRITA, CES, and SXSW. He serves on the advisory boards for Made In/at/by, Adetexs RFID and Anchor Media.
Photo courtesy WWW
