Mark Worden to replace Cliff Sifford as Shoe Carnival’s new CEO

Shoe Carnival, Inc. has appointed Mark Worden, the company’s president and chief customer officer, as its next chief executive officer, effective September 30, 2021.

Worden will succeed Cliff Sifford, who will be stepping down as CEO but will continue to serve in the role of vice chairman of the company’s board of directors. Sifford began his career with the company in 1997 and has served as the company’s CEO since 2012.

Commenting on the development, Shoe Carnival chairman J. Wayne Weaver said: “Cliff has been an extraordinary leader in the shoe industry for over four decades and at Shoe Carnival for the past 24 years. His deep knowledge of the industry and passion for the company elevated Shoe Carnival to its position as a leader in family footwear and we are grateful for his continued guidance as vice chairman.”

Under Sifford’s leadership, the company achieved various milestones, including growing revenues to over 1 billion dollars, achieving eleven consecutive years of comparable store sales growth leading into fiscal 2020, and increasing merchandising margins. At the same time, Sifford oversaw the strategic investments in the company’s industry-leading CRM system and the launch of its e-commerce platform.

Mark Worden takes over as Shoe Carnival’s CEO

“We are thrilled to have Mark assume the role as chief executive officer, and have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead the Shoe Carnival team and deliver strong performance as we enter this new chapter,” added Weaver. “He and Cliff have worked tirelessly over the last three years to develop an industry-leading management team, and the board believes they will achieve great things as they work together in their new roles going forward,” added Weaver.

Worden joined the company in 2018 as its executive vice president - chief strategy and marketing officer and has served as the president and chief customer officer of the business since 2019. He currently oversees the company’s stores, e-commerce, marketing, strategy, CRM, real estate, and human resource organizations. He brings over 25 years of leadership experience in the retail and consumer industries to his new position. Prior to joining Shoe Carnival, Worden held several leadership positions at S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. and Kimberly–Clark Corporation.

“I would like to thank the board of directors and Cliff for their unwavering support and am honored to have the opportunity to lead this great company,” said Worden.

The company also announced that its board of directors has increased its quarterly cash dividend from 9 cents to 14 cents per share, an increase of 56 percent. This will be effective for the next quarterly cash dividend, which will be paid on April 19, 2021, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on April 5, 2021.

Image: Shoe Carnival blog