Wolverine World Wide Inc. announced the appointment of Anne Cavassa as president of Saucony, effective immediately.

As president, Cavassa will work to further elevate Saucony’s position as a leading global performance running and lifestyle brand. In her new role, Cavassa will be on the senior leadership team at Wolverine Worldwide and report directly to Richie Woodworth, president of the Wolverine Boston Group.

Cavassa comes to Saucony with more than 20 years of experience in global brand building and innovative product marketing. Most recently, Cavassa served as chief customer experience officer and senior vice president of marketing and apparel for the Brooks Running Company. In this role, she was responsible for driving global brand positioning, creative expression and wholesale and direct-to-consumer strategies. Prior to her position at Brooks, Cavassa held various leadership roles with The Timberland Company; Nike; Ibex Outdoor Clothing; Eastern Mountain Sports and Reebok International, among others.

“Anne is a true visionary who drives brand growth through relentless consumer focus, compelling storytelling and a commitment to marketing and product innovation,” Woodworth said. “Anne’s established connection to the running community will be critical as we continue to transform the brand for the future, expand our distribution channels and further engage, energize and enhance the consumer’s journey at all touch points. Anne is a dynamic and trusted leader who believes that teams should cross the finish line together. She is passionate about running, and will be a significant and authentic voice in the running community.”

“Running is about the journey and the meaningful connections we make along the way,” Cavassa said. “I’m so excited to join Saucony as it celebrates its 120th anniversary. With an award-winning product portfolio, a commitment to the consumer experience and an extremely passionate and talented team of people, Saucony is well-positioned to grow its global footprint while celebrating those unique and meaningful connections among runners everywhere. I can’t wait to get started.”

Cavassa earned a B.A. degree in psychology from Loyola Marymount University.

Wolverine Worldwide’s brands include: Merrell, Sperry, Hush Puppies, Saucony, Wolverine, Keds, Stride Rite, Chaco, Bates, Hytest and Soft Style. The company is also the global footwear licensee of popular brands including Cat and Harley-Davidson.