The Gartner Supply Chain Podcast

Navigating Supply Chain Disruption and Change, With Levi’s Liz O’Neill

Episode Summary

In this interview, Levi’s EVP and COO Liz O’Neill discusses the disrupted operating environment. She shares practical insights for supply chain leaders on hiring for personality profile, the critical role of communication, and balancing a drive for innovation with the need for governance.

Episode Notes

In this podcast, guest Liz O’Neill, the Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of apparel leader Levi Strauss & Co. joins host Thomas O’Connor to discuss the current disrupted supply chain operating environment.

The podcast explores three key areas:

• Why during periods of rapid change supply chain leaders need to prioritize hiring head office staff based on personality profile, not just subject matter expertise.
• How progress is often slow and nonlinear, and why this makes communication of wins and progress so critical to the success of change management initiatives.
• The reality that there is often a tug of war between the needs of innovation and governance within organizations broadly and supply chains specifically.

As executive vice president and chief operations officer for Levi Strauss & Co., Liz O’Neill is responsible for all supply chain operations, including sourcing, end-to-end planning, distribution, logistics and sustainability. Liz also leads companywide innovation, managing LS&Co.’s internal startup capabilities and off-site design lab while simultaneously working closely with the company’s vendor partners to execute its latest product creations. Liz reports to the president and CEO, Chip Bergh, and is a member of the company’s executive leadership team, which guides the strategic direction for LS&Co. 

Prior to joining LS&Co., Liz spent 13 years at Gap, where she held leadership roles with the Gap brand and Old Navy and oversaw sourcing and production management for Gap’s global brands. Liz was named one of the “Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company in 2019 and currently serves on the board of the American Apparel and Footwear Association. Originally from West Point, N.Y., she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Tulane.

Help shape Gartner’s research: Take part in the 2022 Gartner Future of Supply Chain Survey to get a first look at this year’s key trends and we’ll send you a high-level summary of the key findings as soon as it is available. The survey will be open until October 15th.