Reinhard Mohn

Representing the fifth generation of the Bertelsmann family, Reinhard Mohn spent over 40 years actively building the company that today ranks as one of the globe's leading media groups. With foresight, business acumen and a willingness to take entrepreneurial risks, he created an organization that now employs over 100,000 people worldwide. In keeping with the Bertelsmann and Mohn families' longstanding tradition of civic and cultural engagement, he established the Bertelsmann Stiftung in 1977, eventually transferring to it his holdings in Bertelsmann AG. Reinhard Mohn died on October 3, 2009.

Focus areas

Reinhard Mohn - Citizen

Reinhard Mohn's credo was, "We have the freedom to act. We should take advantage of it." Throughout his life, this belief guided his actions as a business and social leader. He always viewed taking responsibility as an opportunity to make a difference.

Reinhard Mohn - Business Leader

When he came home to Germany, a country in ruins, two years after the end of World War II, Reinhard Mohn decided to make use of the opportunities then available to him. Wanting to create something of value, he became managing director of the family printing and publishing business, transforming it into Europe's largest media group.