Corporate Governance
Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) is privately held. Members of families who are related to the company's founder, Levi Strauss, own nearly all of our single class of common equity. We do not have any preferred stock. Shares of Levi Strauss Japan K.K., our Japanese affiliate, are publicly traded in Japan.
We have mechanisms in place intended to ensure family ownership, stable governance and a commitment to responsible commercial success.
Board Committees
Our Board of Directors has four committees: Audit Committee, Finance Committee, Human Resources Committee and Nominating, Governance and Corporate Citizenship Committee. Learn more about our Board committees here.
Ethics
Our success as a company is built upon an unwavering commitment to responsible business practices. Integrity has always been at the heart of how we operate and is one of LS&Co.’s core corporate values. For more than 155 years, we have demonstrated the highest ethical standards in the conduct of our business.
Our Worldwide Code of Business Conduct reflects our commitment to manage our business affairs responsibly, with the utmost integrity and in compliance with all applicable laws. It offers guidance to our employees on a host of potential business situations and emphasizes the importance of making business decisions through the lens of our values.
The Global Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy provides additional, specific guidance on two critical sections of the Worldwide Code of Business Conduct — Compliance with Laws, Rules and Regulations and Government Officials. Recognizing that anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws vary by jurisdiction and are not always easy to understand, our Global Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy is designed to help LS&Co. employees worldwide identify and avoid situations that may potentially violate ethics laws.
Compliance with the Worldwide Code of Business Conduct and the Global Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy is mandatory for everyone at LS&Co. worldwide — from the back room to the board room. Our Ethics and Compliance Reportline allows LS&Co. employees worldwide to report ethics concerns anonymously, and company policies strictly prohibit retaliation against anyone for raising or helping to address any issue related to the Worldwide Code of Business Conduct or the Global Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy.
Director Independence
Although our shares are not registered on a national securities exchange, we do review and take into consideration the director independence criteria required by both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market in determining the independence of our directors. In addition, the charters of our Audit, Human Resources and Nominating and Governance Committees prohibit members from having any relationship that would interfere with the exercise of their independence from management and the company. The fact that a Board member may own stock or voting trust certificates representing stock in the company is not, by itself, considered an “interference” with independence under the committee charters. Family shareholders or other family member directors are not eligible for membership on the Audit Committee.
