DENIM REPORT
New Promotions, Appointments in Levi’s Executive Ranks
San Francisco–based Levi Strauss & Co. recently made several changes to the executive ranks of its Levi’s brand division.
Jennifer Sey was promoted from senior vice president of e-commerce to global chief marketing officer for the Levi’s brand. Sey has been with the company since 1999, holding several positions, including vice president of marketing for Dockers, where she introduced the company’s “Wear the Pants” campaign, and vice president of global marketing for Levi’s, where she relaunched Levi’s 501 in 2008 and introduced the “Curve ID” initiative. Before joining Levi’s, Sey managed advertising for Banana Republic and held several positions at Foote, Cone & Belding.
Karyn Hillman was named chief product officer for the Levi’s brand, a new position for the company. Hillman’s career includes serving as the global head of product creation at Calvin Klein Jeans and Accessories, as well as key positions at Gap Inc., including senior vice president of merchandising for Gap brand.
Grant Barth was promoted to chief merchandising officer from his current position, leading the men’s merchandising team for the Levi’s brand. Barth’s position is also new for the company.
Before joining the company earlier this year, Barth spent 16 years at Nike Inc., serving in global merchandising for sportswear, running and technical outerwear. During his tenure at the footwear and athletic-apparel giant, he “spent a significant amount of time in Asia leading product development in emerging markets,” according to a Levi’s statement.
Jonathan Cheung, vice president of merchandising for men’s tops, was promoted to head design for the Levi’s brand. He has more than two decades of international design experience in menswear, womenswear and denim for brands such as Armani and Moschino. He joined Levi’s in 2009 as the lead designer for the company’s Made & Crafted collection.
“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, in a company statement.“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.”
