ST. LOUIS, March 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ward Klein, Chief Executive Officer of Energizer Holdings, Inc. , a leading manufacturer of batteries, flashlights, and personal care products headquartered in St. Louis, has been elected to the Board of Directors of Brown Shoe Company, Inc. .
"Ward will be a great addition to our board," said Brown Shoe Chairman and CEO Ron Fromm. "As Brown Shoe continues to grow and expand its brand portfolio, his expertise in global brand management and marketing will be invaluable. Additionally, he brings the wisdom and experience that comes with being a sitting CEO of a publicly held company."
Mr. Klein's election increases the number of Board members from nine to ten. In May 2007, at the Brown Shoe annual shareholders' meeting, he is expected to stand for election to a three-year term.
Mr. Klein, 51, was appointed to his current position of CEO of Energizer Holdings in January, 2005. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Energizer from 2004 - 2005, with responsibility over both the company's Energizer Battery and Schick-Wilkinson Sword operating divisions. He was named Energizer's President of International in 2002 after serving as President and Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Mr. Klein joined Energizer's former parent, Ralston Purina Company, in 1979 and transferred to the then newly acquired Energizer battery division in 1986.
Mr. Klein currently serves on the boards of directors of several organizations. They include the National Association of Manufacturers, the St. Louis Regional Commerce and Growth Association, and the United Way of Greater St. Louis. In addition, he has been a member of Civic Progress since 2005 and is Vice Chairman of Teach for America, St. Louis.
About Brown Shoe
Brown Shoe is a $2.5 billion footwear company with global operations. Brown Shoe's Retail division operates Famous Footwear, the 1,000-store chain that sells brand name shoes for the family, approximately 300 specialty retail stores in the U.S. and Canada under the Naturalizer, FX LaSalle, and Franco Sarto names, and Shoes.com, the Company's e-commerce subsidiary. Brown Shoe, through its Wholesale divisions, owns and markets leading footwear brands including Naturalizer, LifeStride, Via Spiga, Nickels Soft, Connie and Buster Brown; it also markets licensed brands including Franco Sarto, Dr. Scholl's, Etienne Aigner, and Carlos by Carlos Santana and Barbie, Disney and Nickelodeon character footwear for children. Brown Shoe press releases are available on the Company's website at http://www.brownshoe.com/ .
