Levi’s Beyond Yoga Approaches Former Athleta CEO, Gap Veteran To Be New CEO

Levi’s fast-growing, premium athletic and lifestyle range Beyond Yoga has announced that former Athleta CEO and Gap veteran Nancy Green will step into its next chief executive position as it plans to expand beyond its origins.

Founder of Beyond Yoga Michelle Wahler and its Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Jesse Adams will both be leaving their positions. Green is expected to take on the CEO role on Feb. 1. However, Wahler and Adams will continue to stay with Beyond Yoga as advisors to make the transition a smooth one.

In a statement, Michelle Gass, who will be stepping into the CEO position with Levi’s, said, “We have arrived at a natural inflection point for this incredible brand, and as we pursue the next stage of growth, we believe Nancy has the experience to fully unlock the potential of Beyond Yoga by leveraging her impressive retail expertise and LS&Co.’s extensive global resources and capabilities.”

This shift in leadership is taking place as Beyond Yoga looks to expand in order to stand out in a growingly congested athletic apparel landscape. Dominating this space are retailers such as Lululemon and Athleta, which is owned by Gap. But upstarts such as Alo Yoga and Vuori have also been creeping into this space and grabbing a share of the market.

BTIG’s Janine Stichter wrote in a research note that during the holiday shopping season last month, customers of Lululemon spent 7.1% and 3% of their activewear money at Vuori and Alo Yoga, respectively.

At the same time, during Levi’s last quarter ending Aug. 27, sales at Beyond Yoga rose by 25%, and within Gap’s quarter that ended Oct. 28, Athleta sales dropped by 18%, according to CNBC.

While these companies battle each other to stay ahead, they have also poached each other’s prominent leaders. In August, Athleta announced that former Alo Yoga President Chris Blakeslee was its next CEO, and now Athleta’s former CEO is joining Beyond Yoga. 

Beginning her career as a New York stylist, Green went on to spend a long stint of 25 years with Gap. She worked her way up the ladder from a merchandiser to president and CEO of Athleta, which is the role she was in for six years.

While at Athleta, she made a big impact by bringing about innovation and transforming its product line. Her efforts extended to enhancing sustainability practices and boosting sales from $250 million to nearly $1 billion. She also grew Athleta’s store footprint from 39 to 175. These skills will play a pivotal role at Beyond Yoga, which is setting out on a similar growth plan.