Don
Ochsenreiter has been named President of the ANNIKA Foundation, Hall of Fame
golfer Annika Sorenstam’s philanthropic organization. Ochsenreiter
joins the Foundation with a wealth of business experience, including more than
14 years in the golf industry as President & CEO of Burton Golf. He
also served on the Board of Governors of the National Golf Foundation and was
actively involved with several key industry growth initiatives, including Golf
20/20 and the First Tee’s National School Program.
“I am very pleased to have Don on board as our President,” said Annika. “We have only scratched the surface in terms of our outreach and we’ll look to Don to help us develop and implement programs that will inspire children to follow their dreams and live healthier lives for many years to come.”
As president of the Foundation, Ochsenreiter, 51, will be responsible for the successful leadership, management and growth of the organization as well as the consistent achievement of its mission and financial objectives. He will provide leadership and management of Foundation programs, including the ANNIKA Invitational, a junior golf tournament Annika hosts in partnership with the American Junior Golf Association; the ANNIKA Cup, a match-play tournament Annika hosts in Sweden for top juniors; the collegiate golf experience, a program that shows young Swedish golfers the opportunities to play collegiate golf in America; and the Foundation’s college scholarship programs.
In his new role, Ochsenreiter will also be charged with building new strategies, programs and fundraising plans to guide the Foundation. While the Foundation will continue to help grow the game of golf, a primary focus for the ANNIKA Foundation in 2009 will be to identify the greatest needs and opportunities to make an impact through the development of sports and physical fitness programs for children to learn to live a healthy, active lifestyle.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for me to leverage my business and golf experiences to help Annika achieve her life-long dreams for the Foundation,” said Ochsenreiter. “Annika and I share the same passion for youth sports and children’s fitness. The Foundation’s programs in junior golf and in fitness and nutrition will make a significant impact on thousands of kids’ lives.”
Under Ochsenreiter’s leadership, Burton, the oldest golf brand in the United States (102 years), grew to be the leading custom golf bag and number one market share brand at on-course golf shops. Prior to joining the golf industry in 1994, Ochsenreiter was an associate partner and manager in two leading strategy consulting firms: Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and McKinsey & Company.
Ochsenreiter attended the University of North Carolina and graduated with honors in economics and statistics. He received his MBA from the University of Texas in operations and finance. Ochsenreiter and his wife of 23 years, Kelly, have four children.
