Kontoor Brands names Tom Waldron sole chief operating officer

Wrangler parent company Kontoor Brands has announced the appointment of Tom Waldron as its sole chief operating officer, a role he will take up from March 19.

In the position, which he initially shared with Christopher Waldeck, Waldron will hold the responsibility for Wrangler and Lee globally, while maintaining oversight of the company’s global supply chain operations.

Waldeck, meanwhile, will be stepping down from his roles of EVP, co-chief operating officer and global brand president of Lee, but will stay on through June in order to ensure a smooth transition.

Waldron’s appointment comes as part of the group’s efforts to advance its operating model through its ongoing multi-year transformation initiative Project Jeanius, in which it aims to simplify its organisation and increase efficiency.

This was noted by Kontoor Brands president, chair and CEO, Scott Baxter, who added in a release that Waldron came as part of the company’s next step in the project, as it looks for support in its next phase of growth.

Waldron has been associated with Kontoor Brands since 2019, when he was appointed co-chief operating officer and brand president of Wrangler following the separation of a number of denim brands once owned by VF Corporation into the spin-off company Kontoor Brands.

Prior to this, he had already served as global brand president of Wrangler and had also been vice president of mass brands at VF.

Alongside his latest appointment, Kontoor has further named Jenni Broyles EVP, global brands president of Wrangler and Lee; and Ezio Garciamendez as EVP, chief supply chain officer. Both new executives will report to Waldron.