In an era of rapid technological advances and demographic change, how do legacy companies adapt, innovate and evolve?
CNBC Evolve features iconic global companies and executives who are embracing change and transforming for the future.
Featuring best-in class CEOs and innovators in conversation with CNBC anchors and reporters, this half-day event series provides a forum for companies to share strategies, tactics and lessons learned in a peer-to-peer environment.
Attendees will walk away with an understanding of how businesses and brands can evolve and win in an age of disruption.
Chip Bergh is the president & chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.). He is also on the company’s board of directors.
Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. The company designs and markets jeans, casual wear and related accessories for men, women and children under the Levi's®, Dockers®, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™ and Denizen® brands. Our products are sold in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites and a global footprint of approximately 3,000 retail stores and shop-in-shops.
Prior to joining Levi Strauss & Co. in September 2011, Chip had a 28-year career at Procter & Gamble (P&G). Chip “grew up” in brand management and served in a number of leadership positions with increasing levels of complexity and scope. His last assignment before joining LS&Co. was group president for global male grooming. He was the first P&G employee assigned to the Gillette business following P&G’s $57 billion acquisition of Gillette in 2005. He led the integration and then ran the Gillette Blades & Razors business along with all of P&G’s male grooming brands (Gillette, Old Spice and The Art of Shaving). Prior to that, Chip led all of P&G’s business in India, Southeast Asia and Australasia.
Chip has led many iconic brands during his career including the creation and launch of Swiffer (P&G’s most successful new brand in the last three decades), the turnaround and growth of Old Spice, in addition to Gillette, Folgers coffee and Jif Peanut Butter. He has lived and worked in the United States, Asia and Europe and has run large global businesses and brands.
In July 2017, Chip was named non-executive chairman of the board of HP Inc. (HPQ), the market-leading printing and personal systems company. He has served as lead independent director of the HP board since March 2017 and as a board member since the company’s separation in 2015. Chip has also previously served on the board of directors for VF Corporation and the Economic Development Board of Singapore.
In April 2019, Chip was named one of the World’s Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine, coming in at No. 16, and has been widely recognized for his position on values-driven leadership.
As the President and Chief Operating Officer of Ticketmaster, North America, a Division of Live Nation Entertainment, Amy Howe is helping to modernize Ticketmaster’s technology and evolve the business model to compete effectively in the rapidly changing live event landscape.
Amy joined Live Nation in 2014 after 14 years with McKinsey & Company. While at McKinsey, Amy served Fortune 500 clients across the media & entertainment, retail, and consumer packaged goods sectors. Howe graduated with a MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BS from Cornell University.
Doug McMillon is president and chief executive officer of Walmart Inc.
As CEO, Doug leads a strong management team that is working to deliver Walmart’s purpose of saving people money and helping them live a better life. Under his leadership, Walmart is bringing together its stores, digital commerce capabilities and supply chain in new ways to make every day easier for customers. Each week, over 275 million customers and members visit our more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites and apps.
From February 2009 to February 2014, Doug served as president and CEO of Walmart International, a fast-growing segment of Walmart’s overall operations, with over 6,100 stores and more than 700,000 associates in 26 countries outside the United States at that time. From 2005 to 2009, he served as president and CEO of Sam’s Club, an operating segment of Walmart, with sales of more than $46 billion annually during his tenure.
Doug is a longtime champion of Walmart’s customers, its associates and the company’s culture. In 1984, he started out as an hourly summer associate in a Walmart distribution center. In 1990, while pursuing his master’s degree in business administration, he rejoined the company as an assistant manager in a Tulsa, Okla., Walmart store before moving to merchandising. He went on to serve in successful senior leadership roles in all of Walmart’s business segments. He remains a merchant at heart and understands where customers around the world are heading next.
Doug has served on the board of directors for Walmart since 2013 and currently is the chair of the Executive committee. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of the Consumer Goods Forum, the U.S.-China Business Council and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. He also serves on the executive committee of the Business Roundtable and the advisory board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing, China.
Originally from Jonesboro, Arkansas, Doug graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor of science in business administration. He earned his MBA in finance from the University of Tulsa.
Jill Layfield is the co-founder and CEO of Tamara Mellon. In 2016, Jill joined former Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon to create and launch the first-ever digitally led, direct-to-consumer luxury footwear brand. Headquartered in LA, with 62 employees and $87M in venture capital funding, the brand is redefining what it means to be a luxury brand. Jill was previously president and CEO of Backcountry.com, where she grew the company from $30M to $500M in revenue and successfully sold the business to TSG Consumer Partners for $350M. Prior to Backcountry, Jill held marketing positions at several Silicon Valley companies including Shutterfly and Cisco Systems. She currently sits on the board of LivePerson (LPSN).
8:00am
9:00am
The Evolving Giant
The decline of retail has been well documented, but someone forgot to tell Doug McMillon. In his five years as CEO of the nation’s largest private employer, Walmart has beat the S&P and is weathering the onslaught from Amazon. We’ll ask the former teenage summer associate turned CEO how the company is continually evolving, with investments in new technologies, customer service, acquisitions and more.
Doug McMillon, CEO, Walmart
Interviewer: Becky Quick, “Squawk Box” Co-Anchor, CNBC
Evolving the Live Experience
When it comes to live sports and entertainment, many consumers are opting for the comfortable confines of home, thanks to endless on-demand options that are just a click away. This shift has forced companies like Ticketmaster and teams like the LA Rams to come up with a new game plan. Two executives will reveal the innovative ways in which they’re getting people off the couch by focusing heavily on fan engagement and an enhanced in-person experience.
Kevin Demoff, COO, Los Angeles Rams
Amy Howe, President and COO, North America, Ticketmaster
Interviewer: Julia Boorstin, Senior Media and Entertainment Reporter, CNBC
Evolving an American Icon
When Chip Bergh took over the helm at Levi’s, he knew he needed to rejuvenate the brand’s image, not only by modernizing its products but also making its blue jeans more efficient and environmentally-friendly. This meant drawing on Levi’s progressive legacy by taking stands on controversial issues and backing up a commitment to social responsibility. The jeanswear leader is now in the midst of another bold move: shifting away from wholesale to direct-to-consumer and digital. We’ll ask CEO Chip Bergh about balancing legacy and innovation, and why he still wears jeans in the shower.
Chip Bergh, CEO, Levi Strauss & Co.
Interviewer: Tyler Mathisen, “Power Lunch” Co-Anchor; Vice President, Events Strategy, CNBC
Networking Break
Evolving Our Lunch: Faster, Fresher, More Efficient
With a focus on digital, faster service and new products, Chipotle has enjoyed great growth in the past year. They’ve done this while balancing their commitment to social responsibility and environmentalism. We’ll talk to CEO Brian Niccol about how he’s managed a transformation on multiple fronts that’s helped raise his company’s stock price over 90% this year.
Brian Niccol, CEO, Chipotle Mexican Grill
Interviewer: Kate Rogers, Reporter, CNBC
The Evolving Consumer: What Makes a Hot Brand Hot, and What Do Legacy Companies Miss?
Big changes in consumer behavior and technology have upended “traditional” B2C businesses, creating white space for upstarts to take market share. What can we learn from their successes, and how can leaders encourage such innovation in their own companies?
Tim Armstrong, Founder and CEO, the dtx company; Fmr CEO, AOL
Jill Layfield, Co-Founder and CEO, Tamara Mellon
Eric Ryan, Founder and Chief Growth Officer, Olly; Co-Founder, Method
Interviewer: Julia Boorstin, Senior Media and Entertainment Reporter, CNBC
Evolving Entertainment: What the Growth of Gaming Can Teach Any Business
Video games have become a $120 billion business, with more than 2 billion active users around the globe. It’s a subculture, a community without borders. Worldwide, Esports fans are filling arenas, and the leagues’ star players are raking in millions. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has been at the center of this explosive phenomenon. We’ll ask him how he taps into the zeitgeist, manages creative teams and sets trends rather than following them.
Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard
Interviewer: Becky Quick, “Squawk Box” Co-Anchor, CNBC
12:00pm
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Senior business decision makers seeking to innovate and drive change.
Leading CEOs from disrupted industries now playing offense.
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