Chairman, president and CEO
Harley-Davidson Inc. | Milwaukee
Jochen Zeitz has served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson since 2020. Under his leadership, the Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer spun off its electric motorcycle division LiveWire in a SPAC deal in 2022, creating the first publicly traded electric motorcycle company in the country. Zeitz also serves as chairman of LiveWire, which in 2024 closed its labs facility in California and moved those operations to Harley’s Milwaukee headquarters.
In recent years, H-D has executed on its five-year streamlining plan, issued stock to 4,500 of its roughly 5,800 employees and opened a $20 million public park at its corporate headquarters. The company’s Homecoming Festival, held in 2023 in honor of its 120th anniversary, generated an estimated $95 million economic impact on the Milwaukee area.
Before joining H-D, Zeitz was CEO of Kering’s sport & lifestyle division from 2010 to 2012 and a director of the board from 2012 to 2016. Previously, he served as chairman and CEO of Puma for 18 years.
Zeitz co-founded The B Team with British billionaire Richard Branson to advocate for better and more climate-friendly business practices. He is also the founder and chairman of the ZEITZ foundation, founder of Segera Conservancy and The Long Run, and co-founder of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, which preserves and exhibits contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.
Education: European Business School
2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile
Manufacturing
Chairman, president and CEO
Harley-Davidson Inc. | Milwaukee
Jochen Zeitz took the helm of Harley-Davidson Inc. in 2020. The iconic Milwaukee brand has since gone public with “The Rewire,” its five-year streamlining plan; acquired StaCyc, maker of kids electric bikes; completed a spinoff of its LiveWire electric motorcycle division (of which Zeitz serves as chairman and CEO); and issued stock to 4,500 of its roughly 5,800 employees.
In the fall, Zeitz made waves when he said the company is planning to repurpose its historic, 500,000-square-foot corporate headquarters complex in Milwaukee. The move is a response to the company’s shift to remote work, Zeitz said. In 2021, the company had 890 corporate headquarters employees, down from 1,062 in 2018. Zeitz splits his time between Milwaukee and New Mexico, according to Bloomberg. In a subsequent statement, Zeitz said the company is “excited about the ideas we have to invest in our Milwaukee campuses for the future.” The Harley-Davidson Museum recently opened its new 8,200-square-foot event space, The Garage.
Outside Harley, Zeitz co-founded The B Team with British billionaire Richard Branson. That organization advocates for better and more climate-friendly business practices. Zeitz also founded the Zeitz Collection, which contains contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. The collection is held and exhibited in Kenya, Spain, Switzerland and South Africa.
Zeitz’s foundation is dedicated to developing ecologically responsible projects in Kenya. In 2019, the Zeitz Foundation launched “The Long Run,” a sustainable tourism initiative.
Education: European Business School
