Dr Martens announces another key hire with new global commercial finance chief

Dr Martens has made another key appointment, on Tuesday announcing Kate Vacovec as global commercial finance director, her first entry into the footwear-fashion world. It’s the latest in a series of senior hires at the UK-based business.

She joins the company this month from Yum! Brands, a global consumer business best known for its three core brands: Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell.

Vacovec brings “an extensive catalogue of experience from her time at Yum!, having been at the business for almost 15 years, working across a number of senior finance and broader business positions”. Most recently, she was CFO of Pizza Hut’s International Operating Markets.

Dr Martens said that at her previous company, she “demonstrated a track record of supporting both top and bottom-line growth, with significant global experience in business analysis, strategy, financial planning and business development across Asia, Europe & North America, having lived and worked in the US, Thailand and the UK”.

She’ll now lead the company’s Global Commercial Finance team reporting into CFO Giles Wilson. She will also “partner closely” with commercial chief Mike Stopforth, Americas president Paul Zadoff, and the firm’s market general managers “to drive forward the company’s commercial strategy, supporting in-market teams around the world”. 

She will also become part of the company’s Leadership Team (LT), “bringing significant international commercial finance experience to Dr Martens’ global team”.