In His First Major Interview as Wolverine CEO, Chris Hufnagel Opens Up About Big Opportunities Ahead in Product, Retail Innovation and International Growth

Even after a period of immense change at Wolverine Worldwide, chief executive officer Chris Hufnagel isn’t letting his foot off the gas. Indeed, the company’s transformation efforts kicked into high gear in 2023 when Hufnagel ascended to the role of president and chief executive officer following the exit of Brendan Hoffman last August. Since then, Hufnagel has remained committed to taking the “necessary actions” to best position the company for future profitable growth, while making sure the company moves with “speed and urgency” to capitalize on its biggest growth opportunities, the CEO noted to analysts in November 2023. The urgency led to quick moves including aggressive divestitures and cost cutting measures, which included the sale of Sperry and the Wolverine leather business. Now, the moves are slowly paying off. Last month, the company said that it ended the third quarter of fiscal 2024 with revenue of $440.2 million, down 16.6 percent from $527.7 million the same time last year. Ongoing total revenue in Q3 – which excludes the impact of sold assets – was $440.1 million, a decrease of 7.0 percent from $473.3 million the prior year period. The marked improvement in Q3 came as Hufnagel praised Merrell’s “return to growth” and the stabilization of sales at Saucony and Sweaty

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