Brown Shoe Promotes Douglas Koch to Chief Talent Officer
ST. LOUIS, May 25, 2005 -- Brown Shoe Company, Inc. (NYSE: BWS) announced the promotion of Douglas Koch to Senior Vice President and Chief Talent Officer from Senior Vice President, Human Resources. He continues to serve as a member of the Company’s Executive Leadership Council.As Chief Talent Officer, Mr. Koch oversees talent management, recruitment, and development, as well as organizational development and other human resource functions for Brown Shoe’s worldwide operations.
Mr. Koch joined Brown Shoe in 2000 as Senior Vice President, Human Resources for its Famous Footwear division in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2002, he was named Senior Vice President, Human Resources for the entire company.
His background includes 26 years of experience in human resources, primarily from the retail industry. He has held executive human resources positions with American Retail Group, The Sports Authority and Macy’s Department Stores.
Mr. Koch is a graduate of Seton Hall University with a bachelor’s degree in education.
Brown Shoe is a $1.9 billion footwear company with worldwide operations. The Company operates the 900+ store Famous Footwear chain, which sells brand name shoes for the family. It also operates a Specialty Retail division with 375 stores in the U.S. and Canada that sell the Naturalizer brand of shoes and accessories. Brown Shoe, through its Wholesale divisions, owns and markets leading footwear brands including Naturalizer, LifeStride, Connie and Buster Brown; it also markets licensed brands including Dr. Scholl's, Bass and Carlos by Carlos Santana for adults, and Barbie, Winnie-the-Pooh, Mickey and Minnie character footwear for children. Brown Shoe press releases are available on the Company's web site at www.brownshoe.com.