Michael Strauss (industrialist)


Michael Strauss is an Israeli business magnate and industrialist.

Biography

Michael Strauss is son of the family business founders Hilda and Dr. Richard Strauss. He holds a degree in Business Management from Harvard University. Michael Strauss was married to Ella until their divorce in 1981, with whom he has three children: Ofra, Irit and Adi.
In 1996 he married Revital, 29 years his junior, a marriage that ended in divorce in 2008.

Business career

After filling a number of roles in the company, he was appointed chairman of Strauss Group in 1975 following the death of his father, a position he held until his formal retirement in 2001 upon which he handed over the job to his daughter Ofra Strauss who was groomed for the position. Following his retirement from chairman he continued serving as a board member in the public company until 2011 and has continued to hold the chairmanship, along with co-ownership, of Strauss Holdings the private company controlling Strauss Group, as well as continued informal involvement in the public company.
During his years as Chairman and President of Strauss he made strategic partnerships with Unilever and Danone, and led significant mergers and acquisitions within the Israeli food industry, most notably of Elite. During Strauss's tenure Strauss Group expanded from being a dairy focused business to become the second largest Israeli food product conglomerate.

Awards and recognition