The Mohn family

The Mohn family

Even though the family does not bear the surname of the founder, Carl Bertelsmann, the Bertelsmann Group has been in the hands of the Mohn family for over 120 years. Towards the end of the 19th century, Johannes Mohn married the founder's granddaughter and took over the still small family business. However, it took another two generations and the end of the Second World War before Reinhard Mohn took over the company and expanded it into a global corporation over the following decades. The transition to the next generation is now in full swing. Reinhard Mohn died in 2009, and since then his wife Liz Mohn has been running the foundation and the group. Since 2021, Reinhard Mohn's son Christoph Mohn has held the influential position of chairman of the management company's (BVG) steering committee, and Reinhard Mohn's grandson Carsten Coesfeld has already been installed on the board of directors.

The family has secured its power in the group through the corporate structure built up by Reinhard Mohn. The BVG is the most important body in this regard, as it is here that all voting rights for all shares are bundled. Of the six members of the Administrative Board, three are currently from the Mohn family (Christoph, Brigitte and Liz). Christoph Mohn holds the chair and thus has a veto right, ultimately controlling the entire group.

Another measure taken by Reinhard Mohn to secure his legacy was the establishment of the Bertelsmann Foundation. In 1993, he transferred a large portion of the capital to the foundation, which in turn became the largest shareholder in the group. The foundation is dedicated to projects that promote democracy, education and science. The foundation is regularly criticised for exerting political influence and for failing to make a clear distinction between charitable and commercial interests.

Media Companies / Groups
Media Outlets
Facts

Business

Logistics and supply chain solutions

Arvato SE (96.7%)

Financial services

Riverty Group GmbH (96.7%)

IT solutions and consulting

Arvato Systems GmbH (96.7%)

IT solutions

Arvato Limited (96.7%)

Printing services

Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH (96 .7%)

Printing company

GGP Media GmbH (96.7%)

Communication services

Territory GmbH (96.7%)

Production and service solutions

Sonopress GmbH (96 .7%)

Packaging services provider

Topac GmbH (96.7%)

Marketing

Deutschlandcard GmbH (96.7%)

Training and further education in the medical sector

Afya (55%)

Education

Alliant International University

Investment fund

Bertelsmann Asia Investments

Advertising

Ad Alliance GmbH

IT services

RTL Technology GmbH

Publishing

Gruner + Jahr GmbH

Video production

Freemantle (UK, 74%)

Book publishing

Penguin Random House (USA, 96.7%)

Venture capital fund

Bertelsmann Digital Media Investment

Family & Friends

Affiliated Interests Family Members Friends

Thomas Rabe

Chairman of the Executive Board of Bertelsmann and CEO of RTL Group. Rabe joined the group in 2000 as CFO of RTL Group. In 2006, he was brought to Gütersloh as Chief Financial Officer and Head of the Bertelsmann Music Group. Six years later, he became Chairman of the Executive Board and, since 2019, CEO of RTL Group. Rabe grew up in Brussels and began his career at the European Commission after studying economics. In addition to his work for Bertelsmann, he is also the chairman of the supervisory board of Adidas. Rabe is said to have a good relationship with Christoph Mohn. Both are considered to be number-driven managers

Further Information

Active Transparency

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Meta Data

Through the funds of the Bertelsmann Investments division, the group - and thus the family - holds interests in over 350 companies, which are not listed here for practical reasons.
The capital shares of the Bertelsmann Foundation are attributed to the Mohn family, since as the founder they have extensive powers and control options within the foundation.

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