One year in and Michelle Gass is tweaking Levi Strauss & Co.’s leadership structure with an eye toward streamlining decision making and accelerating the company’s evolution.
Gass, who became president and chief executive officer of the San Francisco-based firm in January 2024, has been pushing Levi’s to become “a world-class denim lifestyle retailer.”
That’s a journey the company has been on for more than a decade as it expanded beyond its traditional core of men’s jeans at wholesale by strengthening the offerings in tops and women’s and revving up its own stores and e-commerce.
Now Gass is sharpening the approach.
“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,” the CEO said.
“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,” Gass said. “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.”
Last year Levi’s sales rose 3 percent to $6.4 billion with an adjusted margin for adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of 10.2 percent. But Gass is looking to build the company up to $10 billion in sales with a 15 percent EBIT margin.
Here, the C-suite changes meant to help get Levi’s there faster.
- Chief product officer Karyn Hillman has been given responsibility for merchandising as well as design and is now overseeing “the overall vision, priorities and roadmap for Levi’s products and the brand,” according to the company.
- Jason Gowans is now chief technology office as well as chief digital officer, giving him oversight of enterprise technology and a better perch to “streamline processes and unify data.”
- Chief financial and growth officer Harmit Singh is now also overseeing the Levi’s transformation program and will work to “accelerate improvements in the company’s structural economics.”
- Chief commercial officer Gianluca Flore is picking up the company’s licensing and planning, allowing him to “drive tighter alignment between sales and inventory, directive assortment and accountability for inventory management.”
- Bernard Bedon, a former Nike Inc. executive, was hired as chief human resources officer, starting March 3 and reporting to Gass. At Nike, he was a lead human resources business partner supporting more than 81,000 employees.
- And chief operations officer Liz O’Neill is retiring from the company after nearly 12 years. Her post will be replaced by a new chief supply chain officer.
