Henning Strauss (’01), CEO of European Workwear Leader STRAUSS, Gives Back to the Pepperdine Community as Seaver College’s Distinguished Alumnus
As the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus for Pepperdine University's Seaver College, Henning Strauss, CEO and owner of STRAUSS, Europe’s leading workwear brand, is giving back to his alma mater and investing in the next generation of business leaders.
By accepting this honorary role and living into its responsibilities, the visionary businessman is able to mentor students and create exciting new touchpoints between his family’s company and Pepperdine. He views this partnership as a full circle experience, one that expresses the University’s motto “freely ye received, freely give.”
“Looking back 25 years, I recognize that the years I spent in college had a profound impact on me,” said Strauss. “The education I received at Pepperdine was so advanced for the time. The University taught me about ethics and values—these things every corporate culture claims and needs to uphold.”
An Adventurous Student
As a teenager, Henning Strauss took a risk that would change his life. He made the decision to leave his home in Germany to pursue a college degree in America. Peers and role models questioned the choice, as undergraduate bachelor’s degrees were not, at that time, recognized by German institutions. But Strauss went anyway.
Strauss has always been inspired by Pepperdine's scenic campus
“For me, it was the best thing I could have done,” explained Strauss. “At the time, [studying abroad] was not an easy thing to accomplish. The internet was in its early days, and you couldn’t look up ‘What is it really like in Malibu?’”
Given the limited sources of information available, Strauss visited Pepperdine’s campus with his mother and father. There, on the ground in Southern California, he was inspired by the University’s location between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains. Moreover, he was intrigued by Pepperdine’s “unique culture and values-based principles.” These distinguishing factors proved persuasive not only to young Strauss, but also to his parents, who, following the visit, offered full support for their son’s study abroad ambitions.
As a student at Pepperdine, Strauss felt immediately welcomed by the campus community. A business administration major, he dove into academics with the goal of one day being able to contribute to his family’s business back home. He was pleased to discover that at Seaver College, the classroom was not bound to desks and a whiteboard. For Strauss, the curriculum, the emphasis on servant leadership, and the campus’ guiding Christian mission all combined to create an immersive and enriching environment—one that motivated the young business student to be a lifelong learner.
“[At Pepperdine] I was advised that there is more to come and more to learn,” said Stauss. “I think this [belief] is something that we should keep in mind at every stage of our lives and every stage of our careers. There's more to come. We must allow personal growth to happen.”
A Lifelong Learner
Rather than relocate back to Germany after graduating from Pepperdine, Strauss secured his first job out of college in New York City. Preparing for his new career, he booked a hotel room for September 12, 2001, at the World Trade Center. Everything was planned. Everything was set. Then tragedy struck.
After the 9/11 attacks, Strauss decided to stay home in Germany, where he went to work in the family business, starting his professional journey in the company’s warehouse. Engaged in manual work, Strauss could not find a pair of pants that he liked to work in, so he developed and pitched an idea to expand the family business’s catalogue. And like that, his ascent began.
Strauss' education continued as a member of the family business
“It takes time for someone to establish their own credentials and win the respect of others,” said Strauss. “It does not happen by being the successor in a family tradition, but by showing good qualities as a person and as a business leader. It has been quite a challenging but rewarding experience to grow into the position that I have now.”
While working his way from the warehouse to the pinnacle of the company, Strauss clung to the lesson he learned at Pepperdine—there is more to come, more to learn. In taking an inquisitive approach toward the business, he discovered a creative aptitude within himself. The most exciting marketing challenge to Strauss was the dullest product in need of a boost. Such a problem unlocked his inclination to imagine, innovate, and dream.
Most recently Strauss applied his creative abilities to forge exciting new partnerships with athletic leagues in the United States. Specifically, under his leadership, STRAUSS became the official workwear partner of Major League Baseball, meaning that up through the 2027 postseason, the game’s biggest stars will sport a STRAUSS ostrich logo on their helmet at bat during the playoffs and the World Series.
Such visionary leadership has propelled STRAUSS into a global workwear manufacturer. Over the last 20 years, the company has seen major revenue growth, increasing from $100 million to $1.54 billion in annual sales. Yet, in the midst of such rapid advancement, STRAUSS has not strayed from its traditional mission. Despite its worldwide presence and growing international brand, the company is still focused on equipping the people who feed and build the world.
A Devoted Alumnus
After rising through the ranks of the family business and distinguishing the company on the global stage, Henning Strauss is returning to the place where he received the academic foundation necessary to lead. On this return trip, he has just one objective: to give back.
Strauss invested time with current Seaver students during his visit
While meeting the demands of managing an expanding company, Strauss has taken the time to visit Pepperdine on multiple occassions. During his most recent trips to the Malibu campus, in the fall and spring semesters of the 2025-26 academic year, he has reconnected with fellow alumni, explored opportunities to help STRAUSS employees further their education at Pepperdine, and even mentored students in the classroom.
Just this February, Strauss spoke with undergraduate seniors enrolled in the Entrepreneurial Policy, Strategy, and Ethics course. During the class, the CEO shared his vocational journey with students—how he went from Pepperdine student to CEO. Strauss also fielded questions and discussed his views about effective leadership and brand management.
He explained that, in his experience, leaders are developed by being repeatedly introduced to high-pressure situations that require hard work and innovative thinking to navigate. In connection with this perspective, Strauss discussed Seaver College’s emphasis on servant leadership, which not only influenced his deliberate approach to solving business problems but also his recent decision to found a bilingual international school that supports his local community in Germany.
Regarding branding, Strauss gave students insight into how major companies expand to new markets. For example, STRAUSS has avoided the high fashion market in the US and doubled down on what his organization does best—creating dynamic, comfortable, and functional clothing for skilled workers and tradesmen. By advancing these brand strengths, STRAUSS successfully distinguished itself in the United States. As a result, consumers recognize the company as the true workwear brand, with the cachet that comes with authenticity.
All these lessons had an effect on the student audience.
Strauss appeared as a guest on the PeppTalk Podcast
“It was special to learn from Henning Strauss—an important CEO who's really relevant in the current business marketplace,” says Wells Faulstich, a Seaver College senior majoring in business. “It’s encouraging to know that he’s been through the same experiences as I have; learned from the same kind of curriculum. It was really inspiring for all of us. We can be really confident about what we've learned here at Pepperdine, the experiences we've had, and the values that we are taking into the real world.”
To Strauss, serving the Pepperdine community as Seaver College’s Distinguished Alumnus in this manner is not a great act of chivalry or charity. Nor is it a passive, celebratory role. Instead, it’s an opportunity to steward the gift he received as an undergraduate and pay it forward to the next generation of Pepperdine students.
“This is part of me giving back,” he says. “It’s the chance to inspire other people to find their own path in society, grow personally, and remain ambitious about what can be achieved.”
Learn more about Henning Strauss by listening to Pepperdine's PeppTalk Podcast.