Member of the President's Leadership Council of The Asia Foundation

Vice-President, Sustainability, Levi Strauss & Co.



Michael Kobori has led sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co. since 2001. Under his leadership, the company has been a pioneer in bringing sustainability to the apparel industry. He has been a champion of industry collaboration on sustainability, serving as chair of the Better Cotton Initiative and Board member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. In 2014, Fast Company magazine named him one of the 1000 Most Creative People in Business.

Previously, Mr. Kobori was vice president and director of Human Rights Programs at Business for Social Responsibility. Before that, he spent nearly ten years at The Asia Foundation, serving in Bangladesh, Thailand, and San Francisco.

He has served on the Board of the Levi Strauss Foundation, Advisory Board of the International Labor Organization’s Better Work Program, Senior Advisory Board of the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas Business School at the University of California at Berkeley, and Global Advisory Council of the Cornerstone Capital Group.

Mr. Kobori holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, where he also received his undergraduate education in Psychology and Asian Studies.