Wolverine Worldwide Adds Board Member
● Kathleen Wilson-Thompson retired as executive vice president and global chief human resources officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. earlier this year.
Kathleen Wilson-Thompson has been appointed to the board of directors of Wolverine Worldwide Inc., effective May 5. This addition takes the board to 12 members.
Wilson-Thompson, 63, retired as executive vice president and global chief human resources officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. earlier this year. Previously, she held several positions of increasing responsibility in the operations and legal departments at Kellogg Co., rising to senior vice president of global human resources.
Wilson-Thompson sits on the board of directors at Tesla Inc.
“Kathleen has been associated with some of the largest consumerfocused businesses in the world, and we are excited to welcome her to our board of directors,” said Blake W. Krueger, chairman and chief executive officer of Wolverine Worldwide. “She brings a breadth of experiences to our company, and her proven record of leading large global companies through complex and challenging environments will be instrumental in helping to drive Wolverine Worldwide’s Global Growth Agenda.”
Wilson-Thompson added, “Wolverine Worldwide’s strong leadership position and aggressive growth agenda in the global footwear and apparel industry makes it an exciting time to join the company. I look forward to working with my fellow board members to help the company capitalize on the many strategic opportunities that lie ahead.”
Founded in 1883, Wolverine has a portfolio that includes such brands as Merrell, Saucony, Sperry, Hush Puppies, Wolverine Kids and Stride Rite. It is also the global footwear licensee for HarleyDavidson and Cat. The company is based in Rockford, Mich.
As reported, Wolverine pumped up its executive team in January, naming Matt Blonder president of global e-commerce and Jim Zwiers president of the global operations group.
In February, Wolverine reported that it lost money in the fourth quarter amid a sales decline, although its results beat its expectations and that e-commerce is continuing to accelerate.
“The company delivered better-thanexpected results for the fourth quarter and is poised to drive an accelerated recovery over the next 12 to 18 months,” Krueger said at that time.