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

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Escada Escada SE is a luxury women's designer clothing company headquartered in Munich, 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 designe ...

, 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 and retails personal-care products and pressure-sensitive adhesives. Its brands include Elastoplast, Eucerin (makers of Aquaphor), Labello, La Prairie, Nivea, Tesa SE (Tesa t ...

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

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG, often styled as BOSS, is a luxury fashion house headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, accessories, footwear, and fragrances. Hugo Boss is one of the largest German clothing companies, ...

* 2008–2014: CEO,

* 2014–present: 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 and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

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 is a global investment firm. Founded in 1985, the firm advises funds with assets under management of €60+ billion. The Permira funds have made approximately 300 private equity investments in four key sectors: Technology, Consumer, Ser ...

, Sälzer left Hugo Boss and took up the CEO position in Escada, replacing

Jean-Marc Loubier Jean-Marc Loubier is chief executive officer (CEO) of Escada, an international luxury fashion group, since June 2007.

. 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, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

trading. At Escada, Sälzer was employed to save the brand, which has steadily declined after the death of its co-founder

Margaretha Ley Margaretha is the standard Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Penns ...

. In 2008, he invested

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

Megha Mittal Megha Mittal (born 20 November 1976 in Kolkata, India) is a fashion entrepreneur. She is a former chairperson and managing director of the German fashion luxury brand Escada. The Mittal family sold its shareholding in Escada to Regent on 4 Nove ...

, 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 infor ...

'', 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 SE is the largest footwear retailer in Europe which is headquartered in Essen, Germany. Company structure Deichmann SE is a wholly owned family company. Among other countries, the company's stores are called Dosenbach in Switzerlan ...

, Essen, since 2008 and of

Amer Sports Amer Sports Oyj is a Finnish sporting goods retailer and holding company overseeing equipment brands Salomon, Arc'teryx, Peak Performance, Atomic, Suunto, Wilson, Armada, ENVE Composites, Louisville Slugger, DeMarini, and Sports Tracker.

, Helsinki, since 2008. In March 2017 he was elected as chairman of Amer Sports.

References

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