Sonja Balodis became CEO of Schiesser in March 2025, leading the 150-year-old German brand that Israeli company Delta Galil has owned since 2012 for 68 million euros.
Sonja Balodis has run Schiesser, Germany's 150-year-old underwear brand, as CEO since March 3, 2025. Schiesser sells under its own name in department stores across Germany, but the company writing the checks is Delta Galil Industries, the Israeli manufacturer that bought Schiesser for 68 million euros in 2012.
Who is Sonja Balodis?
Sonja Balodis is a German fashion executive with more than 30 years of management experience at clothing and apparel companies. Before Schiesser, she was CEO of comma, a womenswear label owned by the s.Oliver Group, and she also sat on the s.Oliver Group's management board.
Under Balodis, comma grew into a top-10 brand in the modern mainstream womenswear segment and posted a double-digit annual EBIT growth rate for more than 12 years, according to Schiesser's own appointment announcement. She also served as s.Oliver Group's Chief Product Officer for women's, men's and children's clothing, and as managing director at the fashion label Marc Cain.
Balodis has described her career starting from the ground up. In a K5 podcast interview, she said she began with a tailoring apprenticeship before building international experience across three decades in the textile industry. She called herself a lifelong "opportunity seeker," a description she has applied to how she balances Schiesser's history with new product development.
Why does an Israeli company own a 150-year-old German brand?
Delta Galil Industries, an Israeli apparel manufacturer headquartered in Caesarea, has owned Schiesser since 2012, when it agreed to pay 68 million euros for the company. The deal lifted Delta Galil's branded business, as opposed to private-label manufacturing it does for other retailers, from about a third of sales to roughly 47 percent, and pushed the combined companies' sales to about 900 million dollars.
Schiesser was not a distressed asset when Delta Galil came calling. The German company had emerged from insolvency proceedings in 2010 and had prepared to list on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange before shelving those plans amid volatile markets. Volker Grub, head of Schiesser's supervisory board at the time, said Schiesser would have made a promising public stock, but that a long-term owner like Delta Galil offered more stability than the market conditions of that period.
Isaac Dabah, Delta Galil's CEO, told WWD at the time that the two companies fit well together because Schiesser brought retail strength and brand recognition that Delta Galil's largely private-label business lacked. Schiesser continued operating under its own management and brand name after the sale, a structure it still holds today under Balodis.
What happened to Schiesser's previous CEO?
Andreas Lindemann led Schiesser for six and a half years before stepping down in early 2025. Isaac Dabah publicly thanked Lindemann for his work developing the company and said Balodis would take the brand forward using her brand-strategy experience.
Lindemann remained in the role through March 2025 to help hand off management responsibilities to Balodis, according to Schiesser's official announcement of the leadership change. The transition kept Schiesser's day-to-day operations under German management throughout the change, consistent with how Delta Galil has run the subsidiary since 2012.
What is Schiesser doing for its 150th anniversary?
Schiesser marked 150 years in business in 2025, the same year Balodis took over as CEO. Jacques Schiesser founded the company in Radolfzell, Germany, in 1875, and it has held the leading market share in German men's underwear for decades, alongside solid shares in the women's and children's segments.
Schiesser is aiming to open 25 new stores across Europe by 2027, expanding its retail footprint under Balodis while leaning on the anniversary as a marketing moment. The company currently employs roughly 320 to 330 people at its Radolfzell headquarters, with product lines including Cotton Basics, the retro-styled Schiesser-Revival collection, and the youth-oriented Schiesser-Uncover line.
What else does Delta Galil's Israeli parent own?
Schiesser is one piece of a larger portfolio Delta Galil runs across four segments: Delta USA, Global Upper Market, Delta Israel, and Schiesser itself. Delta Galil reported roughly 2.12 billion dollars in 2025 revenue and employs about 25,000 people worldwide, with Isaac Dabah both CEO and a 49.21 percent shareholder.
The same pattern shows up elsewhere in Delta Galil's U.S. business. Bare Necessities, the company's intimates e-commerce division, named Salima Popatia as President in 2026, another example of an Israeli-owned unit running under its own American leadership and brand identity rather than Delta Galil's name.
Schiesser's ownership rarely comes up in German press coverage of the brand, but it fits a broader pattern documented across Olam's map of Israeli consumer brands: household names that operate under their own identities while an Israeli parent owns the balance sheet. Wissotzky Tea carries a similarly long heritage story under Israeli family ownership, while Sabon shows the reverse direction, an Israeli-founded brand now owned by France's Groupe Rocher. Schiesser and Delta Galil sit on the acquiring side of that same cross-border pattern, a 25,000-person Israeli manufacturer quietly running one of the household names on European store shelves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Schiesser?
Delta Galil Industries, an Israeli apparel manufacturer, has owned Schiesser since 2012. Schiesser continues to operate under its own brand name and German management.
When did Sonja Balodis become CEO of Schiesser?
Sonja Balodis became CEO of Schiesser on March 3, 2025, succeeding Andreas Lindemann.
How much did Delta Galil pay for Schiesser?
Delta Galil paid 68 million euros for Schiesser in 2012, a deal that raised Delta Galil's branded-business share of sales from about a third to roughly 47 percent.
Who led Schiesser before Sonja Balodis?
Andreas Lindemann led Schiesser for six and a half years before stepping down in early 2025, staying on through March to hand off management to Balodis.
How old is Schiesser?
Schiesser was founded in 1875 by Jacques Schiesser in Radolfzell, Germany, and marked its 150th anniversary in 2025, the same year Balodis took over as CEO.
