Wolverine appoints new chief legal officer, corporate secretary

Wolverine World Wide Inc. announced on Tuesday the promotion of Dave Latchana to the role of chief legal officer and corporate secretary.

In his new role, Latchana is charged with overseeing the U.S. firm’s legal, compliance, corporate communications, risk management, ESG and security and loss prevention functions.

Latchana has been at Wolverine Worldwide for nearly 16 years, joining the company in 2008 as corporate counsel. He then served as associate general counsel and assistant secretary, working closely with the company’s management team and board of directors across a range of legal and business issues. The executive went on to spend three years as vice president of executive compensation, global benefits and corporate communications from 2021 to 2024, and since January 2024 he has been interim general counsel.

“Dave has demonstrated tremendous leadership and is an integral member of our management team,” said Chris Hufnagel, president and chief executive officer.

“Having served in senior positions in legal, human resources, risk management, and corporate communications over his nearly 16-year tenure with the company, Dave understands our business, our industry and our opportunities incredibly well. We look forward to continuing to benefit from his deep knowledge and significant legal and industry expertise as we execute our transformation plan.”

In its most recent trading update, Wolverine World Wide said revenue fell 20.8% to $526.7 million for the fourth quarter, with the footwear and apparel firm continuing to turnaround sales declines after downsizing its business throughout 2023.

“I am honored to be named chief legal officer and corporate secretary at such an important time, and to continue growing my career here at Wolverine Worldwide,” said Latchana.

“We have an outstanding portfolio of brands and a high-performance, collaborative culture, with exceptional teams and best in class centers of excellence. I look forward to continuing to work with Chris, our management team, and our board of directors to help drive our strategy and realize Wolverine Worldwide’s full potential.”

Last year saw the U.S. company sell-off parts of the company in a bid to turnaround waning sales and tune-up profitability. 

The company sold its Keds brands for over $90 million in February, 2023, followed by the sale of Hush Puppies intellectual property in China, Hong Kong, and Macau for approximately $58.8 million in August. Most recently, Wolverine sold its Sperry brand to Authentic Brands in January this year.