I joined Wolverine World Wide in August 2007. I wanted to join the business as it has such a good catalogue of brands, in turn creating loads of exciting and interesting opportunities. They seem to be keen to embrace innovative materials and technologies and their reputation for producing quality products is excellent.

I’m a Designer for Cat Footwear, based in our London office. Working alongside the Women’s Category Manager and the Design team in the US, I design a wide range of Men’s and Women’s products – everything from active to casual, Legendary Raw to sandals and fashion boots. My goals are to produce commercial, well-designed shoes that are appropriate to the market and consumer, whilst also reflecting this season’s trends. My role is very varied and depends on the time of the season. It mainly involves sketching and designing but there’s also researching, colour work, meeting with the trend agency or sales personnel, working with the factories in China via email and liaising with the US. I also travel overseas a lot on business. Recent trips have included China to see the factories, New York to attend a design summit and Barcelona to support a trade show.

I’m quite new to Wolverine World Wide, but so far they’ve given me a great opportunity to work on various different areas of design and helped me develop a real insight into our different global markets. There’s also a real sense here that ‘knowledge ISN’T power’ - it’s there to be shared. There’s no such thing as a stupid question either, which makes the culture very open and supportive. It’s pretty simple really…we’re here to make the business the best it can be, so the business does the same for us.

It’s a great place to work in terms of your career, as Wolverine World Wide is a global business with a rich history and an impressive range of highly successful and well-respected brands. The business operates across diverse markets too and it’s keen to lead the way, not just follow the herd. From a personal perspective the people here are really friendly and experienced, which is a big help when you’re learning the ropes. It’s a lively, sociable environment to work in as well, with plenty of support if you need it.

I’m too new to the business to answer this one properly! I’ve got high hopes of designing well-received shoes that will go on to sell lots of pairs though!

I enjoy travelling and collecting snow globes and ice buckets!

I’d be the Jessie… it goes with day wear or can be worn in the evening, so it’s a perfect work-hard, play-hard boot!

I joined Wolverine 3 years ago as Marketing Executive for both the Merrell and Sebago brands. My love for the ocean and the great outdoors was a perfect fit for me on both a personal and professional level.

I’m now Marketing Manager for Northern Europe, responsible for all the marketing activity for UK, Ireland, Finland and Sweden. This covers key elements of the marketing mix including Public Relations (PR), Advertising, Internal and External Communications, Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM), Brand Awareness, Technical and Retail Support. As you’d imagine my job is very diverse. There’s no set routine, but you have to be willing to up and go at any time to attend a meeting, store visit or dash to the design house!

Being part of a multi-talented community has helped me gain a wealth of experience from my peers and I’m always learning new techniques and procedures. The UK team is becoming increasingly involved in European and global campaigns, giving me the opportunity to share ideas with fellow professionals across the world. Wolverine offers the chance to actually visit some of our other sites too. It’s great for fast tracking my own personal development as well as helping me understand different attitudes to marketing. I’ve also had the chance to work more closely with our sales team, giving me an excellent understanding of the whole sales cycle and how it fits in with my marketing role. Put it all together and I’m developing the kind of in-depth business understanding that will play a huge role in my long-term career prospects.

From a career perspective there are lots of opportunities to learn, grow and develop. We have a wealth of experience in the footwear and apparel business and there’s always something new going on. From a personal point of view, as Merrell is the market leader in the great outdoors, there are plenty of opportunities to get outside and get involved.

Being promoted to Marketing Manager for Northern Europe was a great achievement. I wanted to change the direction of the brands and now I have the chance.

I should live outside. I’m hardly ever in! My passions are Surfing, Mountain Biking, Waterskiing, Wakeboarding, Road Cycling, Triathlons, Skiing and Snowboarding. Chuck in swimming before work and there’s not much time left!

Anything from the Merrell range. Our philosophy is ‘Lets Get Outside’ – need I say more?

I joined the shipping/logistics department here in October 1997. The positive atmosphere just made it seem like the right place to be.

I’m a Customer Service Sales Co-ordinator, so I help to look after some of the company’s key accounts - Debenhams, John Lewis, and Shellys - accurately keying in and processing new orders as well as authorising customer returns. It’s my job to see that deliveries are sent correctly and on time, so there’s never a dull moment. I also liaise with customers and sales agents on a daily basis, gathering feedback and offering advice to retailers and members of the public on product construction, suitability, durability, quality and availability. I’m also here to inform individuals of their statutory rights, as well as providing retail and industrial safety footwear information.

On top of the ongoing support of my manager and colleagues (they’re always there when I need them), I’ve been on lots of courses. As you’d expect, given my role, most have focussed on customer service. These have helped me become much more skilled at handling all sorts of situations as well as giving me the confidence to take on new accounts and make the most of the opportunities on offer here. As a result my role’s getting more varied every day. It’s not just about the work side of things though. We like to enjoy ourselves too. So I’ve become involved in the Social Committee, helping to organise Bowling Nights and the Christmas party. Great fun of course, but it’s also helped me develop a different set of skills and get to know people from across the business. So Wolverine can develop your social life as well as your business one!

What I find so satisfying is the team spirit, and the fact that you’re always treated with respect. Your voice is heard in team discussions and there are plenty of opportunities to develop your skills and move departments. On a personal level the social events have been very enjoyable too.

It has to be the way I’ve become more confident within the company and learnt a lot of different skills. I’ve even trained new members of staff on SAP (a financial package that we use within the business) and how our Customer Service department works.

I love reading novels, especially John Grisham and James Patterson. And I really enjoy eating out…and in, as I’m a pretty good cook! Watching movies is great too and you can’t beat a good dance.

I love the Hibiscus Hush Puppies because they’re very elegant and ladylike – just like me!

After graduating I joined Wolverine in January 2007. Having researched several career paths Wolverine seemed to offer an attractive way into merchandising which really appealed to me.

As a Merchandise Assistant I’m responsible for orders and product flow between our suppliers (factory) and customers (wholesalers) throughout Europe. I spend about a third of my time (usually in the morning) liaising with our suppliers and factories in the Far East. The remainder of my day is usually spent responding to specific customer requests and general account management. This means talking to different parts of the supply chain such as product development and wholesalers. I look after Cat Footwear and Harley Davidson, dealing with accounts in Italy, Portugal, Greece, Czech Republic and Germany. I also help to get new products to our trade shows and sales representatives. My main aim is to make the ordering process and tracking as smooth as possible for both our suppliers and customers and to make sure that the right product turns up at the right place at the right time. As a personal goal I wouldn’t mind becoming an account manager one day!

Most of my training has been on the job but I’ve also had in-house courses on our systems and processes such as SAP database management and product ordering. The business has really helped me gain an excellent insight into Wholesale merchandising whilst offering a birds eye view of Inventory planning, as there are Inventory Planners for the brands that I manage in our team. It’s great to be able to bounce ideas off them and share our experience. I had no merchandising experience at all before coming here but this role is providing me with a sturdy foundation to work on and to develop my career. With the fast pace of the role and the hands on training I’ve revelled in the responsibility that the role has offered. I know that my manager will carry on encouraging and working with me to develop my skills too.

The most interesting thing for me is working with a product and brand that I can relate to. I’m also developing a thorough understanding of how the shoe business works from product design through to production and delivery. Just as importantly though we’re a great team, we often go out for drinks and socialise outside of work too.

During an exceptionally busy time, and early in my career, I helped the team play a key role in the success of a brand new season. It was a great confidence builder and excellent experience.

I love travelling.

I’m a typical Cat Footwear boot...hard working and reliable!