Jochen Zeitz Retiring, Harley-Davidson Seeks New CEO
German native known for corporate turnarounds has led company since 2020.
Jochen Zeitz at the 2024 opening of Davidson Park. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
The CEO of Harley-Davidson is poised to ride off into the sunset. On his motorcycle, no doubt.
Jochen Zeitz intends to retire in 2025, the company confirmed in a press release Tuesday morning.
Zeitz, 61, has served as CEO and Chairman since February 2020. A search for a new CEO is already underway and Zeitz has agreed to stay until a successor is found.
“The Board is grateful to Mr. Zeitz for his many significant contributions to the Company as CEO,” says a press release.
His tenure will be marked by navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, dramatically changing the company’s historic Milwaukee headquarters and repositioning the company as a premium brand through a five-year plan called “The Hardwire.”
Zeitz also led the spinoff of LiveWire, the company’s electric motorcycle brand, into a stand-alone company that has struggled to meet sales growth projections and the expansion of the company’s Milwaukee anniversary parties into an annual event known as Homecoming.
The CEO, who took over just before the onset of the pandemic, closed the company’s headquarters and never reopened the complex, 3700 W. Juneau Ave., as a full-time, in-office operation. He has promoted remote work for the company’s white-collar workforce. “It democratizes the way we work together and allows you to bring the best talent into the company, no matter where they sit,” he said in a 2022 Bloomberg interview. Zeitz lives in New Mexico and splits his time between the state and Harley’s office in Wauwatosa by use of a private company aircraft.
Much of the employee parking at the complex was redeveloped into Davidson Park, a $20 million, 4.8-acre park. The park was designed by London-based Heatherwick Studio, an internationally-recognized firm that previously worked to design the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, South Africa.
Prior to leading Harley-Davidson, Zeitz was the chairman and CEO of the German-based athletic brand Puma for 18 years. Zeitz was born in Germany and educated in Germany, Italy, France and the U.S. He is a graduate of the European Business School.
With Richard Branson in 2012, Zeitz co-founded The B Team, a nonprofit that advocates for businesses to improve their practices with regard to climate and humanity.
He joined the Harley-Davidson’s board in 2007. With a reputation as a turnaround artist, Zeitz was named acting CEO of Harley in February 2020 and given the permanent job in May 2020. He replaced Matthew Levatich, who had been CEO since 2015.
Zeitz was paid $9.14 million in 2024 and $12 million in 2023; both years included a $1.95 million base salary and substantial stock-based compensation. His 2023 compensation was 157 times that of the average worker at Harley. Zeitz was paid $43.3 million in 2022, a state-leading figure that was attributed to a $32 million stock bonus that requires the company to hit target figures in future years.
The company reported earnings of $278 million in 2024, a 6% increase, on the sale of 148,862 motorcycles, a 17% decrease. LiveWire reported a loss of $93.9 million in 2024, down from $109.6 million in 2023. It expects to sell 1,000 to 1,500 electric motorcycles in 2025.
Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
