Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Senior Leadership Changes to Elevate the Levi’s® Brand, Unlock Commercial Potential Through Continued Diversification and Accelerate Digital Transformation

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE: LEVI) today announced a series of leadership changes, effective November 30, 2020, designed to position the company for the future. As shared in the company’s most recent quarterly financial announcement, LS&Co. is elevating the Levi’s® brand, continuing to diversify with an increased focus on direct-to-consumer (DTC) and prioritizing the digitization of its business to deliver value and help the company emerge stronger and more profitable.

Today’s executive appointments will enable the company to fully embrace agility and digitization to respond more quickly and effectively in the marketplace. As direct reports to Chip Bergh, president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co., these leaders together will be responsible for driving the company’s strategic growth agenda.

“By doubling down on the company’s key growth drivers — the continued strengthening of our greatest asset, the Levi’s® brand; leading with DTC and diversifying our business; and fully embracing digital to transform our operations and processes — we are capitalizing on the opportunities created by the global pandemic, which has accelerated changes in consumer behavior and the competitive landscape,” Bergh said. “With an industry-leading management team, LS&Co. is fortunate to have a group of leaders who have been driving long-term value and are well-positioned to drive this focus for the next chapter of our growth.”

To build on the existing strength of the Levi’s® brand, the company is promoting its chief marketing officer, Jen Sey, to brand president. The Levi’s® brand organization will bring together marketing, design, merchandising and brand experience to drive a center-led brand vision and execute with a consumer-centric focus globally.

Liz O’Neill will become chief operations officer and build on the strength of the operational backbone of LS&Co.’s global supply chain by driving digitization, sustainability and agility, including the ongoing rollout of the company’s F.L.X. technology.

Seth Ellison, previously executive vice president and president, Europe, is being promoted to chief commercial officer (CCO), leading the company’s global commercial operations. As CCO, Ellison will leverage the diversification and DTC-first mindset successfully operationalized in Europe to amplify commercial growth across all channels and markets.

To accelerate the company’s digital transformation, Marc Rosen, executive vice president and president, Americas, is taking on an additional role leading a new Digital Enterprise Office. In this capacity, Rosen will work with technology, business, data and artificial intelligence leaders across the company to set the company’s enterprise-wide digital agenda.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) is one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. The company designs and markets jeans, casual wear and related accessories for men, women and children under the Levi's®, Dockers®, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™, and Denizen® brands. Its products are sold in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites, and a global footprint of approximately 3,000 retail stores and shop-in-shops. Levi Strauss & Co.'s reported 2019 net revenues were $5.8 billion. For more information, go to http://levistrauss.com, and for company news and announcements go to http://investors.levistrauss.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements, including statements related to the company’s prospects for financial performance and growth; future financial results, including profitability; the impact of continued diversification, including a focus on direct-to-consumer, on the company’s financial results; and the impact of digitization initiatives on the company’s financial results. The company has based these forward-looking statements on its current assumptions, expectations and projections about future events. Words such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “will,” “so we can,” “when,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” "confident" and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the best judgment of senior management and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. Investors should consider the information contained in the company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2019, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended August 23, 2020, especially in the “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements. In light of these risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release may not occur. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date stated or, if no date is stated, as of the date of this press release. The company is not under any obligation and does not intend to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect circumstances existing after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of future events, even if such circumstances or future events make it clear that any expected results expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements will not be realized.