Wohn Opts Out of Becoming Shinola’s President

Not so fast.

Days after Shinola named Ulrich Wohn as its new president, the executive decided not to join the company.

The reason “the transition did not move forward,” according to a statement from the Detroit-based company, was due to “a highly urgent personal matter. Ulrich did not assume the role or officially begin work with Shinola. The company wishes him well and we have no further updates at this time.”

Mark Light, who had been serving as interim president since May 2024, will continue to oversee the brand, Shinola said.

The appointment of Wohn seemed a good fit for Shinola, which is known for its handmade watches, leather goods, jewelry and other lifestyle products.

Wohn has more than two decades of experience in the watch sector, including eight years as president and chief executive officer of North America for Tag Heuer, a division of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Most recently he was president of North America for Victorinox. He has also held management positions at Nestlé Nespresso, Bang & Olufsen and National Geographic Fine Art Galleries.

Shinola was founded in 2011 as a watch brand with a mission to return manufacturing to the challenged city of Detroit. It built the first watch factory in that city in more than 50 years, assembling watches using Swiss components. Since then the company has expanded into the creation of a variety of leather goods, jewelry, pet products, knives and other items, and also entered the hospitality space, opening an eponymous hotel in 2019.