Nordstrom exec moving to C-suite at Levi Strauss

Levi Strauss & Co. has tapped a Nordstrom veteran to lead its digital transformation.

The denim giant named Jason Gowans as senior VP and chief digital officer, effective February 6. In this new role within the company, he will be focused on bringing together Levi’s engineering, data, AI and digital product management to spearhead digital efforts both for ecommerce and the digital go-to-market.

Gowans will report to Michelle Gass, the former Kohl’s CEO who joined Levi’s as president this month and is set to become the company’s next CEO, succeeding Chip Bergh. He will sit on the executive leadership team.

Gowans joins Levi’s from Nordstrom, where he spent the past 10 years in various marketing, data science and digital roles, serving most recently as senior VP of digital commerce, leading the growth of Nordstrom’s digital business on Nordstrom.com and NordstromRack.com.   

Before that, he was senior VP of data science and analytics, leading data science and analytics for the company across all functional areas, including marketing, digital, merchandising and supply chain.

Last year, Levi’s announced growth plans with digital being a key component.  The appointment of a chief digital officer is key to managing the company’s primary growth drivers, including DTC revenue increases coming from productivity, service, loyalty and ecommerce acceleration, the company said.

“Jason is a seasoned leader with a proven track record and expertise in creating digital experiences that delight consumers, and I have no doubt that he will help us accelerate our strategies to digitally transform the company and be direct-to-consumer (DTC) first,” said Bergh. “Jason’s deep knowledge of data science, combined with his strong digital expertise, will help us digitally transform all parts of our business — from supply chain to marketing to ecommerce — and accelerate our growth.”

Levi Strauss & Co.'s reported 2021 net revenues were $5.8 billion. The company’s products  sold in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites, and a global footprint of approximately 3,200 brand-dedicated stores and shop-in-shops. 

“I am excited to join Levi Strauss & Co. and build upon the success of the team’s direct-to-consumer efforts to date,” Gowans said. “With such an iconic brand and millions of consumers worldwide already shopping Levi.com, there’s a clear opportunity to accelerate the profitable growth of the DTC business and focus on key areas of the company where data science can make an impact.”