Carl Elsener Sr. Carl Elsener Sr. Carl Elsener Sr. (also known as Charles Elsener, born 6 July 1922 in Ibach, † 1 June 2013 in Schwyz) was a Swiss entrepreneur. Carl Elsener was the grandson of Karl Elsener (1860-1918) and the son of Carl Elsener (1886-1950). Karl Elsener had opened a factory in Ibach for the production of knives and surgical instruments, from which the knife factory Victorinox developed. Carl Elsener led the company initially with his father and his brother Eduard Elsener (b. 1926). After the death of his father in 1950, he took over the management. The Swiss Army Knife is
Carl Elsener Sr. enough to put in an 80-hour week. In October 2000, Elsner founded together with his brother Eduard Elsener and his son Carl Elsener Jr. as a successor solution, the Victorinox Foundation to ensure the continued existence and further prosperity of the company. The Foundation holds 75 percent of the shares of Victorinox AG, another 15 percent belong to the non-profit Carl u. Elise Elsener-Gut Foundation. The Elsener family owns 10 percent of the shares. After Carl Elsener Sr. passed away, his son Carl Elsener Jr. (* 1958) has been managing the company since 2007. Carl Elsener Sr. Carl Elsener Sr.