San Francisco — Levi Strauss & Co. has made leadership changes in its executive team with the appointment of Michelle Gass to the new position of president, LS&Co., reporting to Chip Bergh, president & CEO. Gass will be responsible for leading the Levi’s® brand and the company’s global digital and commercial operations. Gass will begin her role with the company on January 2 and is expected to join the LS&Co. board of directors on her start date.
“We are delighted that an executive with Michelle’s background, experience and stature is joining as president to work side-by-side with Chip for a meaningful transition period before becoming CEO,” says Bob Eckert, chairman of the LS&Co. board of directors. “Michelle’s deep retail and omnichannel experience combined with her track record of building brands and meaningful innovation is a perfect fit for the skills needed to lead this company for the long term and create significant value for our stakeholders.”
Gass brings exceptional direct-to-consumer experience to LS&Co., having led the transformation strategy at Kohl’s to position the company for long term profitable growth. She has driven a significant reinvention effort for more than 1,100 Kohl’s stores, while growing the digital business at a double-digit compounded annual growth rate to more than $6 billion. She has also led a number of strategic innovations at Kohl’s, including the introduction of Amazon returns and spearheading the long term strategic partnership with Sephora, which has expanded to 600 Sephora at Kohl’s shops. [EDITOR’S NOTE: To read Retail & Restaurant Facility Business magazine’s recent cover story on Kohl’s, click here.]
While at Starbucks, Gass held numerous leadership roles over nearly 17 years and was instrumental in leading many successful product innovations, including expanding the Frappuccino® blended beverage brand and launching the Starbucks loyalty program. Her last assignment at Starbucks was as president, Starbucks EMEA, leading their European, Middle East and Africa business.
Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) is one of the world’s largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. The company’s 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 3,100 retail stores and shop-in-shops. For more information, visit http://levistrauss.com.
SOURCE: Levi Strauss & Co.