Companies

New appointments at Dr Martens

Nov 21, 2023 United Kingdom

The British footwear brand has appointed Giles Wilson as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Ije Nwokorie to the new role of Chief Brand Office, both due to start in 2024

Wilson will join the company from William Grant & Sons Limited, one of the largest global spirits companies. Before, he was at John Menzies as CFO from 2016 to 2020 and then CEO from 2019 to 2020. The company added that his appointment will become effective at the start of 2024, with the date to be announced soon. In the meantime, Jon Mortimore, who is retiring from the company, will remain in the job until the end of the financial year.

“Giles is a very capable finance leader with extensive experience in a number of sectors, and, most recently, his time in the branded spirits industry has given him a good grounding in global brands and wholesale distribution management. His knowledge of the public markets will be a valuable asset to the team as Dr Martens continues its growth in the listed environment”, commented Paul Mason, Dr Martens’ Chair.

Shortly afterwards, the British company announced that its non-executive director Ije Nwokorie will step down from the board to undertake the newly created position of Chief Brand Officer, from the 1^st of February. This role “will be a key member of the global leadership team”, “overseeing the global marketing, product and strategy functions. The chief brand officer will be responsible for setting the overall brand strategy, vision and direction for the next phase of Dr Martens’ growth”, it added.

Nwokorie will join the company from Apple, where he has been senior director for Apple retail since January 2018. He spent the prior 11 years at global brand consultancy Wolff Olins, where he was latterly CEO, leading teams in offices in San Francisco, London, Dubai, and New York. He is currently also chair of the non-profit organisation charity, Water UK.

“Ije is a visionary brand storyteller and this, along with his infectious passion for Dr. Martens makes him the ideal person to lead the next era of our brand development”, commented the company’s CEO, Kenny Wilson, to whom Nwokorie will report.

Image Credits: mbuso.top

United Kingdom Brands Dr. Martens Footwear Management