Sanjeev Mohanty is Levi’s head of US, Canada operations

Levi Strauss & Co. has promoted Sanjeev Mohanty, who has been heading the denim brand, also known as Levi’s, in India and South Asia-Middle East and Africa, to head its commercial operations in its largest markets, the US and Canada.

Mohanty will be the first Indian executive in the fashion industry to bag this global role, joining a growing number of Indians in tech and consumer sectors who are leading the operations globally.

“During his tenure with the company, Sanjeev has proven himself to be a dynamic and growth-minded leader. He has strengthened our business and our teams in South Asia, where some of our most important markets are located, to deliver industry-leading results,” said Seth Ellison, chief commercial officer, Levi Strauss & Co.


Mohanty will be reporting to Ellison and will relocate to the US for his new role. It is not clear who will replace him.

“I feel deeply humbled and privileged to be given this opportunity to lead the largest market for the company. It will be an honour to work alongside a very talented U.S. and Canada team, and to embark on this next phase of my career with the company,” said Mohanty.

Nearly half of the company’s business comes from the US and Canada. Levi’s reported net revenue of $4.5 billion for 2020.

Mohanty, who hails from Odisha, joined Levi's first in 1999 as a product manager. He is credited with Benetton group’s turnaround in India where he was managing director of its South Asia operations. Before joining Levi's in his latest stint in 2016, as its managing director, he also headed online fashion platform Jabong and was involved in its sale to Flipkart.

In his latest stint, Mohanty has also been given responsibility for other markets of the San Francisco-headquartered firm over the past few years.

Levi’s is present in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores and online sites, and it has a global footprint of about 3,000 brand-dedicated stores and shop-in-shops.