Johan Seitz rose to prominence in the business community when he lifted the sportswear brand Puma from near-death conditions. During his leadership, the company, which brought some losses for a long time, became profitable, its shares rose 27 times. Puma was then taken over by Kering. Seitz worked for this holding for some time, and in 2016, at the age of 53, he quit to pursue his projects. He finally had children he hadn’t had time for before, turned his vast collection of African art into a nine-story museum on the Cape Town waterfront in South Africa, ran a tourist complex in Kenya, and with Richard Branson and other members of The B Team tried to change modern capitalism. .. Forbes once called him “a real man of the Renaissance.”
Along the way, Seitz served on the board of directors of Harley-Davidson. In February last year, under pressure from shareholders, the CEO and president of the company, Matt Levatich, resigned – he was let down by the decline in sales and the continuing decline in shares. Seitz was temporarily appointed to lead the companies while they are looking for a new CEO. But in the end, Seitz decided to put his reputation to the test once again – and remained at the head of the legendary motorcycle manufacturer.
Seitz himself said that at Puma his activities were considered an “environmental Taliban.” He is obsessed with environmental issues. As a member of the Harley-Davidson board of directors, it was he who insisted that the company release an electric motorcycle, according to Bloomberg.
In 2019, a model called the Harley-Davidson LiveWire was shown at CES and opened for orders. When Seitz took over as CEO, a Forbes columnist advised him to separate electric motorcycles into a separate brand: “Let’s face it, the brand’s most dedicated fans are not fans of the quiet LiveWire machine.” The journalist suggested the Harley-Davidson Electric or HDE brand. Soon he stated that he was right – the company faced resistance even among its employees and dealers, they did not like the fact that an electric motorcycle was being sold under the famous brand.
Harley-Davidson LiveWire
And in May of this year, Harley-Davidson announced that it was launching a separate brand for electric motorcycles. It was named after the firstborn – LiveWire. The release of the first car under the new brand is scheduled for July 8.
A motorcycle for a white senior citizen
The Harley-Davidson LiveWire has received rave reviews from critics and enthusiasts. But the sales came as a surprise. “The youngest buyer of this car was 72 years old,” a Pennsylvania motorcycle show owner told Bloomberg. “Harley-Davidson didn’t reach the audience it wanted — it again entered the segment called the guys who can afford this bike.” No wonder: Harley-Davidson LiveWire costs almost $ 30,000. This is the best illustration of the problems the company is facing.
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