Chip Bergh has been the president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co. since 2011. He is also on the company’s board of directors. During his tenure, the company has experienced a dramatic turnaround marked by outstanding performance, a return to the center of culture and purpose-driven leadership. LS&Co. returned to the public markets with a successful IPO in March 2019.
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®, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™, Denizen®, Dockers® and Beyond Yoga 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 3,200 retail stores and shop-in-shops. LS&Co.'s reported 2022 net revenues were $6.2 billion.
A self-declared "brand guy,” Chip’s has led many iconic brands while working in the United States, Asia and Europe. Prior to joining Levi Strauss & Co. in September 2011, Chip spent 28 years at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in roles of increasing scope and complexity in brand management, general management, and executive leadership. His last assignment before joining LS&Co. was group president for global male grooming. He was the first P&G employee assigned to the Gillette business following P&G’s $57 billion acquisition of Gillette in 2005. He led the integration and then ran the Gillette Blades & Razors business along with all of P&G’s male grooming brands (Gillette, Old Spice and The Art of Shaving). Prior to that, Chip led all of P&G’s business in India, Southeast Asia and Australasia.
He helmed the creation and launch of Swiffer (P&G’s most successful new brand in the last three decades) and the turnaround and growth of Old Spice. He’s also led Folgers Coffee and Jif peanut butter.
In July 2017, Chip was named non-executive chairman of the board of HP Inc. (HPQ), the market-leading printing and personal systems company. He has served as lead independent director of the HP board since March 2017 and as a board member since the company’s separation in 2015. Chip has also previously served on the board of directors for VF Corporation and the Economic Development Board of Singapore.
Chip was named one of the World’s Greatest Leaders in 2019 by Fortune Magazine, and he has been widely recognized for his statements and actions on issues like gun violence prevention, climate change and social and racial justice.
