23 Facts About Jochen Zeitz

Jochen Zeitz - born 6 April 1963 - is a businessman best known for his work as CEO of Harley-Davidson, Inc and Chairman of LiveWire Inc In April 2025, Zeitz announced his intention to retire from the Company after five years as CEO.

Previously Zeitz served as the Chairman and CEO of Puma for 18 years.

Jochen Zeitz served as board member of Kering, the luxury goods company and chaired their Sustainability Committee, for whom he developed its global sustainability strategy.

Jochen Zeitz is currently a board member The B Team and Cranemere.

Jochen Zeitz is the co-founder of The B Team with Richard Branson, and the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa.

Jochen Zeitz studied in Germany, Italy, France, and the United States, and graduated from the European Business School in International Marketing and Finance.

Jochen Zeitz began his professional career with Colgate-Palmolive in New York and Hamburg.

Jochen Zeitz joined Puma in 1990, and in 1993 was appointed Chairman and CEO, becoming, at the age of 30, the youngest CEO in German history to head a public company.

Jochen Zeitz led Puma through a significant restructuring, during which the company's market presence and financial performance improved notably.

In 2008, Jochen Zeitz introduced PUMAVision, an ethical framework defined by the four key principles of being fair, honest, positive and creative as applied to all professional behaviour, business procedures and relationships throughout and outside of Puma.

In 2014, Jochen Zeitz co-founded The B Team with Sir Richard Branson, which "brought together the world's top business leaders to promote socially and environmentally conscious business practices across the globe".

Jochen Zeitz is a board member of Cranemere, and served on the Board of the Kenya Wildlife Service for three years.

Jochen Zeitz became a member of the Board of Directors of Harley-Davidson in 2007, and served as the Chair of Harley-Davidson's Sustainability Committee since its inception in 2011.

In July 2020, Jochen Zeitz announced "The Rewire" which led to a new five-year strategic plan called "The Hardwire".

In December 2021, Jochen Zeitz announced that LiveWire, the electric-motorcycle division of Harley-Davidson, would become a separate publicly traded company to "operate with the same agility and speed as a startup"; the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange on 27 September 2022.

In 2024, louder criticism and sometimes boycott request was heard from dealers, customers and fans about the DEI orientation that Jochen Zeitz favoured for the brand.

In 2008 Jochen Zeitz founded the not-for-profit Jochen Zeitz Foundation for Intercultural Ecosphere Safety to support creative and innovative sustainable projects and solutions that balance conservation, community development, culture, and commerce in a quadruple bottom line approach, promoting an inclusive, holistic paradigm of conservation that enhances livelihoods and fosters intercultural dialogue while building sustainable businesses.

The Jochen Zeitz Collection bought 85 works at the 2013 Venice Biennale, including the award-winning installation at the Angola pavilion by artist Edson Chagas, a series of photographs by Zanele Muholi from the South Africa pavilion, and three large sculptures by Michele Mathison in the Zimbabwe pavilion.

In 2014 Jochen Zeitz co-wrote and published The Breakthrough Challenge: 10 Ways to Connect Today's Profits with Tomorrow's Bottom Line with John Elkington.

In 2021, Jochen Zeitz served as Executive Producer of the film Breaking Boundaries.

Jochen Zeitz served as Producer on the award-winning documentary film 'Ranger'.

Jochen Zeitz received the 2012 German Image Award, the 2013 Banksia International Award and the Visionary Award for the 2013 Travel + Leisure Global Vision Award.

In 2023, Jochen Zeitz was awarded the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership award, recognising his ability to build trust across divides, a collaborative and inclusive approach to solving local, national and global challenges.