Levi Strauss & Co. announced a series of strategic leadership changes aimed at accelerating the company’s omnichannel transformation.
In 2022, Levi’s announced plans to shift its strategy toward DTC, with plans for 400 new stores and a revamped ecommerce experience. Improvements to the company’s digital platform already are paying dividends, with ecommerce sales up 13% in 2023 and showing signs of further growth in 2024. Other initiatives, like a conversational fit guide on Amazon Alexa, a collaboration with Beyoncé, fun marketing stunts like 12-foot-tall pairs of jeans at U.S. malls — combined with fashion trends that are increasing the demand for denim — all have helped to boost Levi’s affinity with customers over the past couple of years.
The Goal: Becoming an ‘Iconic Lifestyle Brand’
With the new executive changes, Levi’s hopes to keep up that momentum by aligning its corporate structure more closely with its strategic priorities in order to streamline design-making and foster continued innovation. Much of this movement kicked off with the appointment of former Kohl’s CEO Michelle Gass, who took over as CEO in early 2024 following the retirement of Chip Bergh. The appointment of Gass ended a period of turmoil at the company prompted by the 2022 resignation of then-Brand President Jennifer Sey, who said she was on track to become the next CEO but quit after a years-long internal dispute over her activism against pandemic-related school closures.
“Over the past year we’ve made bold moves to transform Levi Strauss & Co. into a world-class denim lifestyle retailer, and we’re seeing the results,” said Gass in a statement. “We believe success is built on clarity of purpose and the ability to adapt, and that’s exactly what we’re doing — aligning our structure with our strategy to drive sustainable, profitable growth. We have built a team that is agile, focused and ready to execute on our strategies while keeping our consumer at the heart of it all. By putting our fans at the center of every decision, we are shaping Levi’s not just as the denim leader but as an iconic lifestyle brand for generations to come.”
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Current Levi’s C-Suite Sees Roles Expand
The organizational changes that will enable this include:
- Chief Product Officer Karyn Hillman’srole as has been expanded to include merchandising in addition to design. Hillman is now responsible for the overall vision, priorities and roadmap for Levi’s products and the brand;
- Jason Gowans’srole also has expanded to Chief Digital and Technology Officer. He will oversee both digital and enterprise technology functions at the company to help streamline processes and unify data;
- Chief Operations OfficerLiz O’Neill has announced her intention to retire after nearly 12 years with the company. To further streamline the company’s structure and ways of working, the Chief Operations Officer position will now be replaced with a new Chief Supply Chain Officer, who will be responsible forsupply chain agility, improving service levels, fostering innovation and optimizing our cost structure. The executive who will fill that role has not yet been named;
- Chief Financial and Growth Officer Harmit Singh’sremit has expanded to include oversight ofLS&Co.’s transformation program, designed to accelerate improvements in the company’s structural economics in an effort to support growth and profitability. Singh also will lead the expansion of Levi’s shared services model, building global talent hubs around the world;
- Chief Commercial OfficerGianluca Flore has expanded his scope to oversee licensing and planning in a bid to drive tighter alignment between sales and inventory; and
- Bernard Bedon has been appointed Chief Human Resources Officer, effective March 3. Bedon will report to Gass and will join the company’s executive leadership team. Bedon, who has nearly 30 years of HR experience, joins LS&Co. from Nike.
