Levi Strauss & Co. has appointed John Vandemore, chief financial officer of Skechers for nearly a decade, as its new CFO, effective Nov. 1. He replaces longtime finance chief Harmit Singh, who announced his retirement earlier this year and will stay on as an adviser until Nov. 30.

Before joining Skechers nine years ago, Vandemore held leadership roles in finance and operations at Mattel, The Walt Disney Company, International Game Technology and several consulting firms.

Analysts read the hire as a strong fit. Skechers' revenues rose from $4 billion in 2017 to $10 billion last year under Vandemore's financial stewardship — and that figure happens to be Levi's own target, BNP Paribas Equity Research senior analyst Laurent Vasilescu noted in a Thursday research note.

The strategic parallels run deeper. Both are global lifestyle brands with similar margin profiles of about 10% EBIT margins, similar geographic footprints — each draws half of revenues from the Americas — and similar channel mixes of roughly 55% wholesale and 45% direct-to-consumer, according to Needham analysts led by Tom Nikic.

"We have known Mr. Vandemore for nearly a decade, and we consider this to be a strong hire," Nikic said in emailed comments Thursday. "Mr. Vandemore previously served as the CFO of Skechers for 9 years, helping the company become one of the world's largest footwear brands with over $9 billion in revenue."

Vandemore arrives as Levi's pushes the same DTC-heavy agenda that has reshaped Skechers' business. In the most recent quarter, DTC delivered just over half of Levi's revenues, rising 11%, while wholesale grew 5%. The company has opened more stand-alone stores to fuel that shift.

The near-term picture carries risks. Credit card data suggests Levi's DTC sales fell in the U.S. quarter over quarter, and unseasonably warm weather in Europe could hurt DTC sales there, Vasilescu said.

Levi's CEO Michelle Gass framed the appointment around the company's transformation. Vandemore is arriving "at a pivotal moment for our company," she said in a statement.

"We are building a more direct-to-consumer business, unlocking the full potential of the Levi's brand and transforming LS&Co. into the world's leading denim lifestyle retailer," Gass said. "John's deep financial, operational and consumer experience, combined with his proven ability to help global brands scale and grow profitably, makes him the ideal partner to help us realize our ambition of becoming a $10 billion company."

Skechers, for its part, is navigating its own transition — the footwear brand agreed earlier to be acquired by 3G Capital. With Vandemore's track record of scaling a footwear business from $4 billion to $10 billion, Levi's has effectively hired the CFO blueprint for its own stated revenue goal.