# Matthew McGivern > Founder, Planman Advisory | Strategic Advisor at SmartMagic | Turning cultural signals into product, partnerships and brand direction | Former Head of Merchandising, Dockers (Levi Strauss & Co) Location: San Anselmo, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/matthewmcgivern I’ve spent over two decades inside brands like Levi’s and Dockers, including serving as Head of Merchandising, working across product, collaborations, and the most forward-facing parts of the business. At Levi’s, the focus was keeping the brand at the intersection of consumer and culture. That meant launching pinnacle lines like Levi’s Vintage Clothing globally, building collections like Commuter and Skateboarding to expand reach, and using collaborations across tech, luxury fashion, streetwear, sport, and music to keep the brand at the center of culture. I was the first to lead this work globally, helping set the foundation for how Levi’s operates in this space today. Most brands don’t lose relevance all at once. The product is still there. The business is still running. But the connection to consumer and culture starts to slip, and with it, the reason people choose you. That gap is where I tend to work. Today, I partner with brands to turn cultural signals into product direction, partnerships, and go-to-market thinking that actually lands. Recent work includes New Balance and Starbucks. Through Planman and my work with SmartMagic, I work with teams to define where they can play, and how to show up in a way that feels considered, not forced. ## Work Experience ### Founder | Planman Advisory @ PLANMAN ADVISORY Jan 2024 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area At Planman Advisory, I work with brands and creative partners to unlock new product platforms, collaborations, and growth opportunities. With more than 25 years of experience across merchandising, product strategy, and brand innovation including leadership roles at Levi’s and Dockers, I help companies translate strategic ambition into clear product direction and market impact. My work sits at the intersection of brand, product, and commercial thinking helping teams define what to build, how it stands out in culture, and where the next growth opportunities lie. I typically support leadership teams in areas such as: • Product platform strategy • Brand collaborations and partnerships • Category and assortment strategy • Product identity and design codes • Innovation and growth frameworks • Workshop facilitation and strategic alignment Through Planman and collaborative partnerships with creative agencies, recent work has included projects involving brands such as New Balance, Starbucks, Disney, and Pelican. ### VP of Product Strategy @ SmartMagic Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area I work with the SmartMagic leadership team to help shape the company’s strategic direction, leading product strategy and partnership platform development across key engagements. My work sits at the intersection of brand, product and commercial thinking turning strategic ambition into clear product direction. I focus on defining product identity, design codes and practical frameworks that help teams make confident decisions about what to build and how it shows up in the market. In close partnership with design, brand and commercial leaders, I help translate strategy into real products, collaborations and growth opportunities. Engagements span established global brands across sport, lifestyle and consumer sectors including New Balance, Starbucks, Pelican and Disney. ### VP of Product & Brand Partnerships (Fractional) @ Penna Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area As VP of Product & Brand Partnerships at Penna, I’m focused on leading product strategy and building premium partnerships that shape a design-led, sustainable ecosystem to support those who care. ### Global Head of Merchandising - Dockers @ Levi Strauss & Co. Jan 2021 – Jan 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area - Brand Revitalization: Spearheaded the Dockers® brand revival, targeting a younger audience and achieving a 20% growth to $360M. - Team Leadership: Managed an international team of 25 merchants across 7 locations, ensuring vision consistency amid leadership changes. - New Business: Expanded product lines, launching women’s category to represent 5% of total business and increasing overall tops sales by 20%. - Product Architecture: Directed a product overhaul, resulting in a 40% increase in SKU productivity by phasing out underperforming styles and doubling-down on winners. - Strategic Storytelling: Adopted a ‘fewer stories, better told’ approach, enhancing omni-channel assortments and achieving a 30% improvement in DTC assortment commonality. - Organizational Restructuring: Executed changes to improve role clarity and accountability, promoting teamwork and inclusive decision-making. - Collections and Collaborations: Reformulated strategies to engage a younger, premium audience, opening new revenue channels and elevating brand desirability. - Licensing Partnerships: Reinvigorated licensing partnerships to align accessories with the new brand direction. ### Global Merchandising Sr. Director - Levi's Collections, Collaborations & Sustainability @ Levi Strauss & Co. Jan 2014 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco, California - Portfolio Leadership: Led Levi’s® $300M collections and collaborations portfolio, achieving +300% revenue growth with omni-channel strategies. Managed over fifteen global consumer engagement businesses including Levi’s Commuter, Levi’s Skate, Levi’s Made & Crafted, Levi’s Vintage Clothing, Levi’s Workwear, and Levi’s Line 8. - Prestigious Collaborations: Revitalized brand equity through strategic collaborations, expanding the consumer base and placing the brand at the center of culture. Forged high-profile partnerships with Supreme, Nike, Comme des Garçon, Off-White, Vêtements, Air Jordan, Google, Stussy, and New Balance, among others. - Licensed Partnerships: Oversaw licensed partnerships, including major sports leagues, and logo collaborations, amplifying the broader logo tee segment from $90M to $400M. - Division Relocation: Relocated Levi’s® Premium XX division from Amsterdam to SF, boosting its value from $40M to $130M and enhancing gross margin by 10 points. - Sustainability Initiatives: Launched Levi’s Authorized Vintage and Secondhand platform, securing the largest collection of made-in-USA vintage Levi’s® in history. Led the brand’s sustainability taskforce, establishing initiatives like the Cottonized Hemp program and the 501 Renewcell (first-ever circular 501). ### Global Merchandising Director - Men's Tops @ Levi Strauss & Co. Jan 2014 – Jan 2014 | san francisco, california - Team Leadership: Led a team of 6 merchants, achieving 10% growth ($350M) in Levi’s® global Men’s tops. - Core Business Strategy: Established a strong core business through an icon and key item strategy. - Logo Strategy: Emphasized core logo strategy, achieving 4X growth in graphic tees. - Outerwear Innovation: Enhanced the outerwear category with a key franchise strategy and innovation plan. ### Regional Merchandising Director - Southern Hemisphere @ Levi Strauss & Co. Jan 2012 – Jan 2013 | San Francisco Bay Area - Created and executed a regional merchandising strategy to become the only region to surpass the revenue growth goal of +5%. - Ensured brand consistency across diverse Southern Hemisphere regions, achieving +30% product assortment consistency within a year. - Served as interim head of Levi's US retail business for 6 months. ### Senior Merchandising Manager - Levi's Collections & Collaborations @ Levi Strauss & Co. Jan 2011 – Jan 2012 | San Francisco Bay Area - Aligned global collaborations and collections with business objectives, elevating brand equity and addressing brand weaknesses. - Generated >$50 million in incremental business by entering the action sports channel, where we previously had no presence. - Led the global rollout of Levi's Commuter collection, a historic first for the brand. Growing the collection to +$100m ### Merchandising, Product Development & Design Lead - Australia & New Zealand @ Levi Strauss & Co. Jan 2008 – Jan 2011 | Melbourne, Australia - Led the product team (merchandising, product development & design) during a significant transition from a regional focus to a global affiliate, successfully growing the business from $30 million to $50 million. - Revitalized the iconic 501® business, achieving X3 growth within a year. - Repositioned Levi’s® for youth engagement by introducing fresh fits and discontinuing outdated styles. ### Senior Brand Manager - Benelux and Nordic Regions @ Levi Strauss & Co. Jan 2005 – Jan 2008 | Brussels Area, Belgium - Developed a clear strategy to reposition the brand as more youthful by integrating marketing and product, achieving 20% revenue growth. - Established a streamlined communication process between product and marketing, resulting in more impactful brand messaging. - Surpassed the UK to make the Benelux and Scandinavian markets the third-largest in Europe. ### Global Product Manager - Collections (Levi's Vintage Clothing and Levi's RED) @ Levi Strauss & Co. Jan 2000 – Jan 2005 | Brussels Area, Belgium - Led product development and execution of global equity-building lines (Levi's Vintage Clothing, Levi's Red, and ICD+) and European collaborations. - Supported Brand Director to create marketing materials for premium collections. - Led the European re-launch of Levi’s Engineered Jeans collection in 2004, resulting in a thriving >€100M business. ## Education ### BSc in European Business and French Loughborough University ### 3 A Levels in Mathematics, Economics and French Cowbridge Comprehensive ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/matt-mcgivern - Website: https://www.smartmagic.com --- Source: https://flows.cv/matthewmcgivern JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/matthewmcgivern/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-05