We are pleased to announce that Marc Rosen, EVP and President, Direct-to-Consumer, Levi Strauss & Co. was named the winner of our first, 2019 Radical of the Year Award, presented in collaboration with SAP. The Radicals Awards were held at a breakfast Tuesday morning March 5th at Shoptalk in Las Vegas, where Marc was recognized along with the other nine finalist honorees.
The Radicals represent a wide range of innovators from legacy retailers and brands who have designed and implemented customer-centric solutions at a time when brick-and-mortar stores are challenged by newer, digital pureplay brands. We created the Awards to recognize the innovators within the legacy world who are the unsung heroes driving fundamental transformation.
As EVP and President, Direct-to-Consumer, Levi Strauss & Co., Marc Rosen heads up 30%, or about $2 billion of Levi’s total business, including 3000 stores and e-commerce sites dedicated to Levi’s and Docker’s brands. Marc was recognized for his history of driving growth through consumer-focused technology innovation, creating and implementing end-to-end merchandising and inventory management systems. The jury was impressed with Rosen’s accomplishments that were not only innovative but also had a significant impact on revenue.
While every one of our 10 finalists hit the ball out of the park, making it tough for our jury to pick the winner, Marc’s ball just went farther. Marc is credited with creating Indigo, a chatbot on Levi.com that takes a conversational approach in using artificial intelligence to determine a shopper’s style and fit need. Additionally, he developed partnerships with leading consumer tech brands such as Snapchat and Pinterest and helped contribute to 11 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth for the direct-to-consumer business.
Marc said, “I am honored to be considered with my fellow Radicals for this award. This is a group of incredible change agents who are dedicated to transforming the retail industry in order to deliver an amazing experience for consumers,” said Marc Rosen. “I am proud to be the recipient of the inaugural 2019 Radical of the Year Award. And I’d like to thank Robin Lewis and The Robin Report for spotlighting and recognizing radical change-makers in the industry. Let’s work together, let’s learn from each other and take the industry to the next level.”
In addition to winning the 2019 Radical of the Year Award, Marc received a $1000 contribution to his cause of choice, Everytown’s Students Demand Action.
The 2019 Radicals:
Andrew Clarke, President, LOFT- ascena retail group, Former EVP, Chief Merchant, Justice – ascena retail group and Sara Tervo, Chief Marketing Officer, Justice – ascena retail group
David Katz – Chief Marketing Officer, Randa Accessories
Marc Mastronardi – EVP, Innovation & Business Development, Macy’s
Tricia Nichols – Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing, Estée Lauder
David Olsen – CEO, Cos Bar
Graham Poliner – Senior Vice President, Strategy and Analytics, Macy’s
Marc Rosen – EVP and President, Direct-to-Consumer, Levi Strauss & Co
Mili Seoni – Head of Business Development, ascena retail group
Brock Weatherup – Chief Strategic Innovation & Digital Experience Officer, Petco
Doug Wood – CEO, Tommy Bahama
An objective third party panel of retail industry veterans selected the winner. The judges were impressed with Rosen’s accomplishments that were not only innovative but had a significant impact on revenue. The jury for this year’s Awards are: Paul Charron, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Liz Claiborne; Mark Cohen, Director of Retail Studies/Adjunct Professor of Business, Columbia Business School; Michael Gould, former Chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale’s; Joe Gromek, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Warnaco Group; Matt Laukaitis, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Industries North America at SAP; Steve Sadove, Principal at Stephen Sadove and Associates/former CEO Saks Fifth Avenue and Andrea Weiss, founding Partner, The O Alliance.
