Jill Beraud
LEVI STRAUSS &About Jill Beraud
Independent director of Levi Strauss & Co. since 2013; age 64. Currently serves as Chair of the Finance Committee and is a member of the Compensation and Human Capital Committee. Class I director with current term expiring at the 2026 annual meeting. The Board has affirmatively determined she is independent under NYSE standards. Board is led by an independent Chair.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ippolita (private luxury jewelry) | Chief Executive Officer (retired) | Oct 2015 – Sep 2018 | Led brand and distribution across high-end retail and e-commerce |
| Tiffany & Co. | EVP, Global Retail Operations & E‑Commerce | Oct 2014 – Jun 2015 | Oversight of store development and real estate |
| Living Proof, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | Dec 2011 – Oct 2014 | Led commercialization of materials-science-based personal care products |
| PepsiCo | Global CMO; CMO PepsiCo Americas Beverages; President, Starbucks/Lipton JV | Dec 2008 – Jun 2011 | Senior brand leadership; JV leadership |
| Limited Brands (now Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret entities) | Various, including CMO Victoria’s Secret; EVP Marketing for portfolio brands | 13 years (dates not specified) | Multi-brand marketing leadership (Bath & Body Works, C.O. Bigelow, Express, Henri Bendel, Limited Stores) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fashion for Good BV (private) | Chair of the Board | Not disclosed | Sustainability/innovation-focused platform in fashion; company noted role only |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments and roles: Finance Committee (Chair); Compensation and Human Capital Committee (member). Finance Committee met 5 times in FY2024; Compensation and Human Capital Committee met 4 times. The full Board met 6 times; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings. All directors attended the 2024 annual meeting.
- Independence: Board determined all directors other than the CEO are independent; committee membership is limited to independent directors.
- Term/class: Class I; term ends at the 2026 annual meeting.
- Board structure: Independent Board Chair; executive sessions of non-management directors held every Board meeting.
- Shareholder oversight signals: Say‑on‑pay support >99% at 2024 annual meeting; Compensation Committee uses independent consultant (Semler Brossy), which provided no other services. Clawback policy updated in Oct 2023 to conform with NYSE listing standards.
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component (FY2024) | Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $100,000 | Standard non-employee director retainer |
| Committee chair fee – Finance | $15,000 | Finance Committee chair retainer |
| Total cash fees (Beraud actual) | $115,000 | Matches individual compensation table |
| Meeting fees | None disclosed | No meeting fees policy disclosed |
Performance Compensation (Director)
| Equity Element | FY2024 Amount/Term | Vesting/Features | FY2025 Update |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU award (policy) | $155,000 value | Granted at annual meeting; vests in full by next annual meeting or 1-year anniversary; initial grant deliveries deferred until 6 months after Board service ends; dividend equivalents accrue and vest with RSUs | Annual equity award increased to $175,000 beginning FY2025 |
| Beraud – Stock awards (grant-date fair value) | $164,838 | Reflects actual FY2024 RSU value granted to Beraud | — |
| Beraud – Dividend equivalent RSUs (other comp) | $5,728 | Dividend equivalents align to declared dividends on underlying RSUs | — |
No options or performance-vested equity are granted to non-employee directors; director equity is time-based RSUs only.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public company directorships: None disclosed for Beraud.
- Compensation Committee interlocks: None; no insider participation in FY2024.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Extensive consumer marketing, social media, and brand-building expertise; senior operating experience in apparel and consumer goods.
- Finance/capital structure oversight experience as Finance Committee Chair (mandate includes capital allocation, financings, capex, cash management, M&A review).
- Board governance quality context: majority-independent Board, independent Chair, independent committees, director stock ownership requirements.
Equity Ownership
| Ownership Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Class A common shares beneficially owned (as of Feb 1, 2025) | 44,225 | <1% of class; address c/o LEVI HQ |
| Class B common shares beneficially owned (as of Feb 1, 2025) | 108,679 | <1% of class; 10 votes per share for Class B |
| Aggregate outstanding RSUs (director, as of Dec 1, 2024) | 21,591 | Includes vested but deferred and unvested RSUs |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Not permitted under company policy | Hedging and pledging are prohibited for directors and officers |
| Director stock ownership guideline | 5x annual retainer ($500,000) within 5 years | All current directors are in compliance as of Dec 1, 2024 |
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths
- Independent director with deep consumer/brand expertise relevant to Levi’s DTC and omnichannel strategy; chairs Finance Committee overseeing capital allocation and M&A, a key lever for shareholder returns.
- Strong ownership alignment: meaningful RSU holdings, dividend equivalent accruals, and compliance with rigorous director ownership guidelines; no hedging/pledging allowed.
- Board practices supportive of investor confidence: independent Chair, majority independent Board, executive sessions, updated clawback policy, high say‑on‑pay support.
-
Watch items
- Dual‑class structure concentrates voting power in Class B shareholders (family holders), though this is a company-level governance characteristic rather than Beraud‑specific.
-
Red flags
- None identified specific to Beraud in FY2024: no related‑party transactions involving Beraud; no Section 16 issues disclosed; no pledging or hedging permitted.