Wolverine Worldwide reshuffles brand responsibilities

By

Robin Driver

Published
Apr 21, 2020

Having just announced the departure of Michigan group president Todd Spaletto, Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (Wolverine Worldwide) has revealed a series of leadership changes, reassigning responsibility for a number of its brands.

 
Global president of Wolverine Worldwide’s Sperry brand since February 2020, Joelle Grunberg will now add overseeing Saucony, Keds and the Wolverine Kids Group to her list of responsibilities.
 
Chris Hufnagel, who has been with the company since December 2008 and has held the role of global president of Merrell since September 2019, will continue in his current role, but will also be responsible for CAT Footwear, Chaco and Hush Puppies from now on.

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As for Wolverine brand global president and five-year company veteran Tom Kennedy, he will now also be tasked with overseeing the Bates, HyTest and Harley-Davidson Footwear brands.
 
Grunberg, Hufnagel and Kennedy will all join Wolverine Worldwide’s executive leadership team and will report directly to Blake Krueger, the company’s chairman, CEO and president.
 
“During this unprecedented period of economic disruption, we are making important changes to our leadership team and organizational structure to make the company more nimble and better positioned to seize the opportunities that lie ahead,” explained Krueger in a release. “This new structure will accelerate our biggest growth initiatives and strengthen our focus on DTC opportunities. We will also realize meaningful cost savings under the new structure.”
 
News of Spaletto’s departure as Michigan group president first emerged on Friday, April 17, when it was revealed that the company had entered into a separation agreement with the The North Face veteran on April 15. 
 
At the time, Wolverine Worldwide explained that Spaletto’s “departure is not based on any disagreement with the company relating to its operations, policies or practices,” and stated that its separation agreement with the executive guarantees him cash payments in an amount equal to 18 weeks of his base salary.

On Monday, following the announcement of Grunberg, Hufnagel and Kennedy's new responsibilities, the company clarified that Spaletto will not be replaced as Michigan group president.