Rudolf Dassler
 Rudolf dassler founded his company PUMA in 1948
and at the same time, he registered the first PUMA logo picturing a puma
jumping through a slim letter “d” (for dassler).This logo is
reliving a revival with “Rudolf dassler schunfabrik”collection, the
designs focus on the heritage of the company that the strong and charismatic
Rudolf Dassler founded 60 years ago.
Jochen Zeitz
CEO and Chairman PUMA AG
 Jochen Zeitz was born on April 6, 1963 in Mannheim, Germany.
Rather than following in his family's footsteps and becoming a medical doctor,
Zeitz attended the European Business School. In 1986, he graduated in
International Marketing and Finance, after having studied in Germany, France,
and the United States. He began his professional career with Colgate-Palmolive
in New York and Hamburg. In 1990, Zeitz joined PUMA and in 1993 was appointed
Chairman and CEO of PUMA, becoming the youngest Chairman in German history to
head a public company at the age of 30.
Zeitz has spearheaded and held primary responsibility for the worldwide
restructuring of PUMA, which was in financial difficulties at the time. He
reached the first major milestone within his initial year as CEO, when PUMA
delivered its first profitable performance since 1986, posting consolidated
sales of 210 million Euros with an EBIT of 23 million Euros in 1994. The PUMA
share price gained around 4000 percent in 13 years, from 8.6 Euros in 1993 to
an all time high of 350 Euros in April 2007. Zeitz managed to turn PUMA from a
low price brand into a premium Sportlifestyle company and one of the top three
brands in the sporting good industry by sticking to a long-term development
plan that he introduced in 1993. Zeitz has been the longest serving CEO of a
public DAX/MDAX company in Germany.
Jochen Zeitz believes in success through passion and he is a great aficionado
of the African continent, its people and culture. He speaks six foreign
languages, including Swahili. Zeitz also believes that PUMA's position as the
creative leader in Sportlifestyle presents the opportunity – and the
responsibility – to contribute to a better world for the generations to
come. In 2008, Zeitz introduced PUMAVision – a concept to implement a
corporate ethical framework defined by the 4Key principles of being Fair,
Honest, Positive and Creative as applied to all professional behavior, business
procedures and relationships throughout and outside of PUMA. Through
PUMAVision, new initiatives and concepts are brought under way that drive PUMA
to cleaner, greener, safer and more sustainable systems and practices. In April
2010, Zeitz launched the next pivotal phase of PUMA’s ambitious long-term
sustainability program through which the company aims at reducing carbon,
energy, water and waste by 25% by 2015.
Jochen Zeitz extended his commitment to his personal life. In 2008, he founded
the non-profit “Zeitz Foundation of Intercultural Ecosphere Safety”
to support creative and innovative sustainable projects that balance
conservation, community development, culture, and commerce (the
“4Cs”), promoting an inclusive, holistic paradigm of conservation
that enhances livelihoods and fosters intercultural dialogue. Since October
2009, he has been Honorable Warden of the Kenya Wildlife Service. Jochen Zeitz
has been a member of the Board of Directors of Harley Davidson since 2007 and
has received numerous awards during his professional career, including
"2001 Entrepreneur of the Year", "Strategist of the Year"
for three years in a row by the Financial Times", "Trendsetter of the
Year" and "Best of European Business Award 2006". In 2004, the
German Federal President awarded him with the Federal Cross of Merit of the
Republic of Germany.
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