Chairman and CEO
Johnson Outdoors | Racine
Helen Johnson-Leipold is chairman and chief executive officer of Racine-based Johnson Outdoors and chairman of Racine-based Johnson Financial Group.
With a background in advertising, Johnson-Leipold joined the family-owned cleaning products company SC Johnson in 1985 and worked her way up to become vice president of worldwide consumer products in 1997. She was named chairman of Johnson Outdoors, an outdoor recreational equipment and clothing manufacturer and marketer, in 1999 and chairman of both Johnson Financial Group and The Johnson Foundation in 2004, succeeding her father in all three roles.
Johnson Outdoors operates 18 facilities worldwide and has about 1,400 employees. The company reported revenue of $664 million last year.
An heir to SC Johnson, Johnson-Leipold has a net worth of $4.8 billion. She ranked No. 278 on Forbes’ 2024 list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, the fourth highest among Wisconsin billionaires. She’s served as chair of the board of The Prairie School, an independent private day-school founded by her mother, Imogene Powers Johnson.
Her husband, Craig Leipold, is owner the Minnesota Wild and founder of Ameritel, a Neenah-based business-to-business telemarketing firm.
Education: Bachelor’s, Cornell University
2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile
Manufacturing
Chairman and CEO
Johnson Outdoors | Racine
Helen Johnson-Leipold has led Johnson Outdoors as chairman and chief executive officer since 1999. The Racine-based company, which manufactures and markets outdoor recreational equipment and clothing, operates 24 locations and has about 1,400 employees. The company reported record revenue of $751.7 million last year.
After starting her career in advertising, Johnson-Leipold went on to join family business S.C. Johnson, working her way to become vice president of worldwide consumer products in 1997.
She was named chairman of Johnson Outdoors in 1999, chairman of both Johnson Financial Group and The Johnson Foundation in 2004, succeeding her father in all three roles.
She is among eight billionaires living in Wisconsin, with a net worth of $3.3 billion, according to Forbes.
She’s served on the board of The Prairie School, an independent private day-school founded by her mother, Imogene Powers Johnson. In 2017, she and her siblings pledged $150 million to Cornell University to fund the SC Johnson College of Business.
Education: Bachelor’s, Cornell University