Krueger Promoted to Wolverine CEO Post

NEW YORK – Blake Krueger, president and chief operating officer of Wolverine World Wide, has been promoted to president and chief executive officer of the Rockford, Mich.-based footwear firm.

As CEO, he succeeds Timothy O’Donovan, who has been reelected chairman of the company’s board of directors. He described Krueger as “an integral driver of the company’s expanded global presence and evolution into a billion dollar enterprise which markets branded lifestyle footwear and apparel.”

A Wolverine director since last July, before taking his most recent post Krueger was president of Wolverine’s Heritage Brands Group, where he spearheaded the revitalization of its Caterpillar Footwear business. Prior to that, he spent a decade as executive vice president of the company with responsibility for human resources, retail, business development, accessories licensing, acquisitions and legal matters.

In making the announcement, the company noted that, under O’Donovan’s leadership, its global footwear sales increased from 37 million pairs in 1999 to 47 million in 2006, its global presence expanded to 180 countries from 132, and its market capitalization grew to $1.6 billion from $385 million.

Wolverine owns brands including Bates, Hush Puppies, Merrell and Sebago and produces footwear under license from brands such as Cat, Harley-Davidson and Patagonia.