Wolverine's announces unexpected CEO change
The Board of Directors has appointed Christopher E. Hufnagel as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Hufnagel succeeds Brendan L. Hoffman, who is no longer with the company
Mr. Hufnagel joined Wolverine Worldwide in 2008 and has served in leadership roles across the organization. Before his appointment as President in May 2023, he was President of the Company’s Active Group with responsibility for Merrell, Saucony, Chaco, the Kids Group, and Global Licensing. He has also served as Wolverine Worldwide’s Global Brand President of Merrell and Global Brand President of CAT Footwear. In earlier roles at the Company, he was President of Direct-to-Consumer and Senior Vice President of Strategy. Prior to joining Wolverine Worldwide, Mr. Hufnagel held senior leadership roles at Under Armour, Gap, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Tom Long, Chairman of the Wolverine Worldwide Board of Directors commented: “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.”
“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”, Mr Long concluded.
Tom Long, Chairman of the Wolverine Worldwide Board of Directors commented: “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.”
“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”, Mr Long concluded.
Image credits: Christopher Hufnagel's LinkedIn