Dr. Bruno Sälzer (born 28 June 1957) was the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Escada Escada SE is a luxury women's designer clothing company headquartered in Aschheim, Germany. The company is owned by Regent, L.P., an international private equity firm led by investor Michael Reinstein. The company was founded in 1978 by desi ...

, the international luxury fashion group. He was born into a solid farming family. He has always been interested in fashion more than fertiliser, and has been quoted in saying, "I can't explain this. There was no one in my family like this. I have checked back several generations." He is the father of four sons.

Career

Timeline: * 1986-1991: Director of International Sales Coordination,

Beiersdorf Beiersdorf AG is a German multinational company that manufactures personal-care products and pressure-sensitive adhesives headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. Its brands include Elastoplast, Eucerin (makers of Aquaphor), Labello, La Prairi ...

* 1991-1995: Managing Director of Hairdressing International, Schwarzkopf * 1995-2008: CEO,

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG (stylized in all caps) is a designer fashion company headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, Fashion accessory, accessories, footwear, and Leather, leather goods. Hugo Boss is one of the ...

* 2008–2014: CEO,

* 2014–2018: CEO, Bench Sälzer started out at Hugo Boss as one of the members of the managing board, but steadily worked his way up to CEO position. He was the first to introduce the womenswear line at Hugo Boss. He saw the company boost its income to

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

154m in 2007. During his time with the company, he described his management style as old-fashioned, he favored a system where you learn how to think, how to combine things, how to set priorities. He was not a fan of MBAs. Following a dispute with the company's private equity company

Permira Permira Holdings Limited is a British global investment firm specialised in buyouts, growth funds, equity funds, and credit funds. Founded in 1985 as part of Schroders, it became independent in 1996. Operating as Permira since 2001, the company ...

, Sälzer left Hugo Boss and took up the CEO position in Escada, replacing Jean-Marc Loubier. The row with Permira reportedly centred on special dividends, however the departure was supposed to have been amicable. Upon leaving, he praised the work ethic and unique culture of the company. His departure from the company saw Hugo Boss' stock fall by 9.2 percent in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

trading. At Escada, Sälzer was employed to save the brand, which has steadily declined after the death of its co-founder Margaretha Ley. In 2008, he invested

3 million from his Hugo Boss severance pay, only to lose it, as the brand filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

. Megha Mittal, a member of an Indian steelmaking company, bought Escada and saved the company in 2009. Sälzer was retained as CEO, and thanked for his "relentless efforts" so far at the firm. On 20 February 2014, according to ''

Women's Wear Daily ''Women's Wear Daily'' (also known as ''WWD'') is a fashion-industry trade journal often referred to as the "Bible of fashion". Horyn, Cathy"Breaking Fashion News With a Provocative Edge" ''The New York Times''. (August 20, 1999). It provides i ...

'', Salzer will step down as CEO of Escada by December 2014. In July 2014, it was announced that Salzer would take up the role of CEO and chairman of the Bench fashion brand on 1 December, commenting, "Bench fashion is an expression of young people's attitude towards life in the age of the internet and social media: individual, casual and with an eye for their own style. This exciting brand appeals to a target group which is of increasing importance for the fashion industry. What is important for me is that I am able to have a long-term entrepreneurial stake in Bench." Sälzer is board member of Lacoste, Paris, since 2013, of

Deichmann SE Deichmann Societas Europaea, SE is one of Europe's largest footwear retailers and is headquartered in Essen, Germany. Company structure Deichmann SE is a wholly owned family company. Among other countries, the company's stores are called Dose ...

, Essen, since 2008 and of

Amer Sports Amer Sports, Inc. is a Finnish multinational sporting equipment company based in Helsinki, Finland. Established in 1950 as an industrial conglomerate with interests as diverse as tobacco trading, ship owning and publishing, Amer has gradually evo ...

, Helsinki, since 2008. In March 2017 he was elected as chairman of Amer Sports. He retained this function until the takeover of Amer Sports Corp. by Anta Sports Limited, Jinjiang, China, in April 2019. In 2018, Sälzer took on a supervisory board mandate at Ludwig Beck AG in Munich, and in July 2020 he became chairman of the supervisory board. Since 2020, Sälzer has been a member of the board of directors of Zino Davidoff SA in Basel. From 2021 to 2023, he took on the role of Executive Advisor in the management of AlphaTauri, Red Bull's premium fashion brand. As part of the IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in February 2024, Sälzer has returned to Amer Sports as Lead Independent Director.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salzer, Bruno 1957 births Living people German businesspeople in fashion University of Mannheim alumni People from Heilbronn (district) Businesspeople from Baden-Württemberg