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The Levi’s® Brand Announces New Global Leadership Appointments

Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Product Officer, Chief Merchandising Officer and Head of Design Appointed To Drive Product Innovation and Creative Consumer Engagement


WEBWIRE

SAN FRANCISCO – The Levi’s® brand today announced a series of significant management changes to provide a new leadership structure that will drive innovative product and consumer engagement campaigns around the globe. The changes are effective immediately.

“We’re evolving the Levi’s® brand leadership team to include a global product creation, merchandising and marketing structure to help increase our share of consumers’ closets around the world,” said James “JC” Curleigh, executive vice president and president of the Levi’s® brand. “We are confident that the changes we’re making will allow us to build on the brand’s heritage, expand the relationship with our loyal fans and continue to create innovative product solutions to connect with a new generation of fans.”

Jennifer Sey, the current senior vice president of e-commerce, will become the global chief marketing officer for the Levi’s® brand, responsible for marketing strategies across all of the Levi’s® brand product categories. She will report to James Curleigh. Ms. Sey has had a successful marketing career spanning more than 20 years. She joined Levi Strauss & Co. in 1999 and has held a variety of leadership positions, including senior vice president of marketing for Dockers® brand and vice president of global marketing for the Levi’s® brand. She led the global re-introduction of the Dockers® brand via the Wear the Pants® campaign, the global re-launch of Levi’s® 501® jean in 2008 and the global repositioning of the Levi’s® women’s business with the introduction of its Curve ID “shape not size” initiative. Prior to joining Levi Strauss &Co., Ms. Sey managed advertising at Banana Republic and also held a series of roles at Foote, Cone & Belding.

Karyn Hillman joins the company in the newly created position of chief product officer for the Levi’s® brand. In this role, Ms. Hillman is responsible for developing innovative product assortments and creating compelling product stories across the men’s and women’s businesses worldwide. She will report to James Curleigh. Ms. Hillman brings a 22-year successful track record in building global brands, creating compelling and innovative product assortments and driving market share results in the apparel industry. Most recently, she was the global head of product creation at Calvin Klein Jeans and Accessories. Prior to that Ms. Hillman was a key leader at Gap Inc. for 20 years in a variety of roles, including senior vice president of merchandising for Gap brand where she oversaw women’s, men’s, accessories and Gap Body.

Grant Barth, current head of the men’s merchandising team for the Levi’s® brand, will take the newly created position of chief merchandising officer and report into James Curleigh. He has a proven 20-year career in global brand and business development in the apparel and footwear industry. Mr. Barth joined the company in early 2013 from Nike, Inc. where he was a leader in global merchandising across many categories including sportswear, running and technical outerwear. During his 16 years at Nike, Mr. Barth spent a significant amount of time in Asia leading product development in emerging markets.

Jonathan Cheung, current vice president of merchandising for men’s tops, will be the new head of design for the Levi’s® brand. In this role, he takes responsibility for both the men’s and women’s design teams and will report into Karyn Hillman. Mr. Cheung brings more than 23 years of international design experience in menswear, womenswear and denim, having led creative teams in six countries and in three languages. He joined the company in 2009 as the lead designer for the Levi’s ®Made & Crafted TM collection. Prior to joining Levi Strauss & Co., Mr. Cheung was head of global research for Armani Jeans, created the first jeans collection for Iceberg, and was a lead designer with Moschino.



ABOUT THE LEVI’S®BRAND
The Levi’s® brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool. Since their invention by Levi Strauss & Co. in 1873, Levi’s® jeans have become the most recognizable and imitated clothing in the world – capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. Today, the Levi’s® brand portfolio continues to evolve through a relentless pioneering and innovative spirit that is unparalleled in the apparel industry. Our range of leading jeanswear and accessories are available in more than 110 countries, allowing individuals around the world to express their personal style. For more information about the Levi’s® brand, its products and stores, please visit levi.com.

ABOUT LEVI STRAUSS & CO.
Levi Strauss & 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 2,900 retail stores and shop-in-shops. Levi Strauss & Co.’s reported fiscal 2012 net revenues were $4.6 billion. For more information, go to http://levistrauss.com.



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