Levi Strauss & Co. makes slate of leadership changes
Several members of Levi Strauss & Co.’s C-suite have had their roles expanded.
The apparel and denim giant has announced several changes to its leadership team, including the expansion of existing roles, the appointment of a new chief human resources officer, and the departure of its chief operations officer. Levi Strauss & Co. says these actions will “streamline decision-making, drive operational excellence and align the company’s structure with its strategic priorities.”
“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 Michelle Gass, president and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co., who took the reins of the company in early 2024. “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.”
Organizational changes include:
- Karyn Hillman’s role as chief product officer 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. He has more than three decades of design and merchandising experience in building global brands, creating product assortments, optimizing go-to-market strategies and driving results.
- Jason Gowans’s role as chief digital officer also has expanded, and he is now the company’s chief digital and technology officer. Gowans will oversee both the digital and enterprise technology functions, which will help the company streamline processes and unify data, enhancing its digital capabilities and operational excellence across all of its platforms.
- Harmit Singh’s role as chief financial and growth officer has expanded to include oversight of Levi Strauss & Co.’s transformation program to accelerate improvements in the company’s structural economics, supporting our growth and profitability goals. Singh will also lead the expansion of the shared services model, building global talent hubs around the world.
- Gianluca Flore, chief commercial officer, will now oversee licensing and planning, which the company says will drive tighter alignment between sales and inventory, directive assortment and accountability for inventory management.
- Bernard Bedon has been appointed as chief human resources officer, effective March 3. He will report to Gass and will join the company’s executive leadership team. Bedon has nearly 30 years of human resources experience and is known for leading complex global change initiatives, effectively building and developing high-performing teams and supporting strong performance through transformations. Bedon joins the company from Nike, where he most recently served as lead human resources business partner (HRBP) for the company and was responsible for supporting more than 81,000 employees across the enterprise. In his role, he also served as lead HRBP for Nike’s consumer & marketplace team, the global sales team and the Jordan and Converse brands.
- Liz O’Neill, chief operations officer, has announced her intention to retire from Levi Strauss & Co. after nearly 12 years. The chief operations officer position will be replaced with a new chief supply chain officer, who will be responsible for supply chain agility, improving service levels, fostering innovation and optimizing cost structure.
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Levi Strauss & Co.’s portfolio of brands includes Levi's, Levi Strauss Signature, Denizen, Dockers and Beyond Yoga. Its products are sold in approximately 120 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites, and a global footprint of approximately 3,400 retail stores and shop-in-shops.
