Kenneth Hannah Named Chief Financial Officer of Brown Shoe Company as Russ Hammer Resigns

Brown Shoe Company (NYSE: BWS)(brownshoe.com) today announced Kenneth Hannah has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer of the company, replacing Russ Hammer as of February 16, 2015.

“We’re excited to have a dynamic leader like Ken Hannah join us as CFO,” said Diane Sullivan, CEO, president and chairman of Brown Shoe Company. “His strong finance background and executive experience -- combined with his deep understanding of retail -- will help Brown Shoe Company, as we drive toward achieving our long-term financial targets.”

“I’d also like to thank Russ Hammer for his contributions to Brown Shoe Company over the past three years,” continued Sullivan. “His efforts have helped us build the groundwork for the future of the company.”

Hannah will have responsibility for the company’s finance, accounting, treasury, external reporting, tax, real estate and investor relations functions. He will be based at Brown Shoe Company’s corporate headquarters in St. Louis.

“I’m looking forward to joining Brown Shoe Company, as they continue to grow and evolve,” said Hannah. “There is a great deal of opportunity in the footwear industry, and I’m excited to help Brown Shoe Company as it continues to move forward and redefine itself as a company.

Hannah most recently served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of JC Penney Company, Inc. Prior to that time, he served in multiple executive roles at SunEdison (formerly MEMC Electronic Materials), including president of Solar Energy and of Solar Materials and as vice president and CFO. Hannah also held executive positions at The Home Depot, and these included senior vice president of Operations, senior vice president of Finance, and vice president of Financial Planning and Analysis. Earlier in his career, he served in various finance roles of increasing responsibility at The Boeing Company, General Electric Company and McDonnell Douglas Corporation. Hannah holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Southern Illinois University and a Master of Business Administration from St. Louis University.

About Brown Shoe Company

Brown Shoe Company is a $2.5 billion, global, footwear company whose shoes are worn by people of all ages, from all walks of life. Our products are available virtually everywhere — in the over 1,200 Famous Footwear and Naturalizer retail stores we operate, in hundreds of major department and specialty stores, on 13 branded ecommerce sites, and on many additional third-party retail websites. Through our broad range of products, we serve three key market segments. Our Family brands — Famous Footwear and Famous.com — are one-stop-shopping destinations for high quality, affordable styles for a family’s every occasion. Active people who want comfort, style and performance, can look to our Healthy Living brands — Naturalizer, Dr. Scholl's, LifeStride and Ryka. Our Contemporary Fashion brands — Sam Edelman, Franco Sarto, Via Spiga, Vince, Carlos Santana and Fergie Footwear — keep fashionistas in step with the latest trends. At Brown Shoe Company, we inspire people to feel good and live better... feet first!