Legendary jeans maker pointing the way to a digital future

Levi Strauss & Company, the 170-year-old apparel manufacturer, has transformed itself to become an acknowledged pioneer in the use of digital technologies, data analysis and the application of AI.

 

Founded in 1853 in San Francisco in the aftermath of the California Gold Rush, the company made its name as a provider of clothing for workers on America’s western frontier, evolving in the mid-20th century to become a leading fashion brand around the world.

 

In recent years it has been embracing digital transformation in order to better meet customer needs in a changing world. It has established digital channels to create more direct consumer engagement and ensure customer loyalty. The $6bn company’s digital journey started in 2018 as it started to break down traditional business barriers and product silos with new technologies. The management of data and the process of data analytics were augmented with AI and machine learning under one unified leadership function. In 2019 the company created a Chief Global Strategy and AI Officer role, appointing Katia Walsh who brought her background in data and analytics from previous roles at Vodafone, Prudential Financial, and Fidelity Investments. She is now working to build Levi’s global digital, data, and AI strategy and use it to support key business priorities and outcomes that deliver provable value.

 

“Katia’s expertise in data and analytics, including big data platforms, analytics services, machine learning products, and digital solutions is proving essential to setting us on a course of continued industry leadership,” said Chip Bergh, president and chief executive officer at Levi Strauss & Co. “She is a talented team builder and positive change agent, capable of translating data products into successful commercial initiatives and consumer experiences.”

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Book of the Month*

The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck

By Dr Christian Busch
Serendipity is an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. To other people it looks like “good luck”, but it is more the ability to recognise and seize an opportunity, rather than have good fortune thrust upon one. Finding a wallet stuffed with money on the conference room floor is good luck, whereas holding it up and asking if anyone has lost their wallet might be the beginning of a valuable friendship – that would be serendipity.

Chance encounters, or strokes of fortune, feature in countless stories of business success. This book looks beneath the surface, reveals and teaches the mindset that can transform pure chance into opportunity. The author is director of the Global Economy Program at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, and a lecturer at the London School of Economics.

Serendipity is an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. To other people it looks like “good luck”, but it is more the ability to recognise and seize an opportunity, rather than have good fortune thrust upon one. Finding a wallet stuffed with money on the conference room floor is good luck, whereas holding it up and asking if anyone has lost their wallet might be the beginning of a valuable friendship – that would be serendipity.

The author says “This is a book about the interactions of coincidence, human ambition and imagination”. In the above example: finding the wallet is the coincidence; ambition is the desire to make something of the discovery; add imagination and you open up a whole menu of possibilities: from spending spree to earning a reputation for honesty – or even making a wealthy friend.

Business is typically forged on human ambition and imagination, but early success often feeds an appetite for control – and “control freaks” can be blind to the opportunities thrown up by the unexpected. They only see chance events as distractions. If plans go awry, they may blame the failure on “bad luck” rather than admit their own inflexible attitude.

The author himself admits to being “a German who is used to planning” and prone to feel anxious when something unexpected happens. That makes him an ideal teacher, because he has worked hard to discover and analyse the mindset that enables one to “connect the dots” and cultivate serendipity. He presents a goldmine of examples from science, business and life where an apparent mishap or failure lead to a breakthrough.

Indeed, studies suggest that around 50% of major scientific breakthroughs emerge as the result of accidents or coincidences. A well-known example is Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, launching the whole field of antibiotics. Other examples include X-rays, nylon, microwave ovens, rubber, Velcro, Viagra and Post-it Notes – where would we be without these!

The book goes beyond the ability to recognise and respond to opportunities in chaos, but the subtitle – The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck – is actually a bit misleading. True, he does show ways to develop better fortune, but it would be better to call it “inviting” or “encouraging” good luck. For example, he suggests better ways to start a conversation with a stranger – ways that will make it more likely to lead to chance connections or shared interests.

The publishers may have chosen the word “creating” to make the book appeal to the human desire to control – for control freaks are exactly the readership that would benefit the most from this book’s wisdom and practical advice.

For the rest of us, it offers a great way to rediscover the sense of play that is so important in life – and too often lost in business.

 

“Following the success of The Serendipity Mindset hardback, a paperback edition has also now been launched under the title “Connect the Dots”.

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