These days it's good to be Kenny Mitchell, a consumer-marketing veteran who finds himself in the enviable position of being a highly sought-after member of the C-suite.
Mitchell recently announced that he'd been lured away from Snap Inc. – the parent company of Snapchat – in order to join the iconic denim brand Levi Strauss. With his first day slotted to be June 5 of 2023, he will be taking on the role of senior vice president and chief marketing officer. In this position, he will be responsible for overseeing the company's consumer marketing strategies, while also focusing on growing the brand’s market share. Mitchell, who has more than two decades of building brands and digital experiences across global markets, will be reporting directly to Levi’s president, Michelle Gass.
Many see this move as Levi Strauss adjusting to the increasingly high-tech nature of the fashion world. Mitchell certainly fits the bill. For nearly four years, he has successfully served as Snap's marketing chief. In fact, he holds the distinction of being Snap's first-ever CMO. In 2019 he was hired by the social media company, who was looking to bring more users on the platform. Reporting to CEO Evan Spiegel, Mitchell became a vital member of Snap's senior leadership team. As CMO, he led the growth of the company’s global community, advertising base, and developer partners.
Prior to joining Snap, Mitchell served as vice president of brand content and engagement at McDonald’s USA, where he managed the company’s brand and consumer marketing strategy. He has also worked with PepsiCo’s Gatorade as head of consumer engagement; oversaw brand and consumer marketing for NASCAR; and served as vice president and general manager at the Dew Tour, a division of the NBC Sports Group.
A student-athlete in his college days, Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. He was inducted into Dartmouth’s Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the men’s basketball team. Among numerous awards and recognitions for excellence in marketing, Mitchell was named one of "The Most Creative People in Business" by Fast Company; and has been included as an innovative leader in Forbes CMO NEXT and AdWeek 50 rankings. Currently he is also a Member of the Board of Directors for e.l.f. Beauty.