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Reinhard Mohn sets the course for the future of the Bertelsmann Stiftung

Reinhard Mohn reorganizes the organizational and management structures of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, one of Germany's largest operating foundations, to ensure its long-term continuity.The foundation adopts a governance model used by many successful corporations, separating its Executive Board and Board of Trustees and clearly defining the powers and areas of responsibility of each.Beginning on January 1, 2005, the Executive Board functions as a management board and the Board of Trustees as a supervisory board responsible for consultation and controlling activities.


Dr. Brigitte Mohn is appointed to the Executive Board

Executive Board member Brigitte Mohn, 2005.


Brigitte Mohn, the daughter of founder Reinhard Mohn, is appointed to the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Executive Board. Her responsibilities focus on health issues.
Prof. Heribert Meffert retires as chair of the Executive Board

For health reasons, Prof. Heribert Meffert steps down as chair of the Executive Board on December 31, 2005, but maintains close ties to the foundation.The members of the Executive Board share leadership responsibilities from January 1, 2006, until the return of Dr. Gunter Thielen in 2008.


Prof. Ernst Buschor is named chair of the Board of Trustees

Prof. Ernst Buschor, formerly a Swiss government official overseeing education policy, is the new chair of the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Board of Trustees.Prof. Buschor has been a member of the Board since 2000.


2005 Carl Bertelsmann Prize:Work and Youth:Recognizing opportunities – Realizing potential

To give young people a better chance in life, we need good ideas, cooperating partners and help in disseminating those ideas.The Bertelsmann Stiftung therefore calls upon all concerned to work together in the interest of young people and our common future.The research conducted prior to selecting a prizewinner shows that resounding success is indeed possible.The Bertelsmann Stiftung recognizes the "Hamburger Hauptschulmodell" (Hamburg Secondary Modern School Model) as an initiative with a high level of entrepreneurial involvement that can serve as a model for others.Entrepreneur and initiator Dr. Michael Otto accepts the 2005 Carl Bertelsmann Prize, which includes an award of € 150,000, from Liz Mohn on behalf of a network of over 60 Hamburg companies as well as the city’s 109 secondary modern and comprehensive schools.The foundation hopes the prize will spark new discussion in the education policy debate.


2005 NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition

Liz Mohn with Maria Virginia Savastano, winner of the NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition, at Stadthalle Gütersloh on October 22, 2005.

"Music connects us" – this realization, which is today almost taken for granted, does not always receive the attention it deserves. With its 11th NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition, the Bertelsmann Stiftung once again demonstrates the importance of music in bringing people together.The final round of competition is held in Gütersloh from October 17 through 23, 2005. The event is characterized by a collegial atmosphere among the 43 contestants from 19 different countries. "These talented young singers are role models for many today, and they share the firm belief that encounters with people from other backgrounds and cultures enrich the lives of all," says Liz Mohn, president of the competition.

In 2005, more than 1,200 young opera talents from 60 nations participate in the competition.Between May and September, 21 preliminary rounds are held in cities around the world including Berlin, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Cape Town, London, Moscow, Munich, New York, Beijing, Sydney and Yokosuka (Japan).This marks the second time in a row that the Bertelsmann Stiftung's € 10,000 prize goes to Argentina.Russian tenor Alexey Kudrya takes second place, winning € 7,500. He is the only male singer to make it to the final round.Soprano Anna Aglatova, who also hails from Moscow, clinches third place, which comes with an award of € 6,000.The remaining four prizes of € 3,000 each go to Canadian Jane Archibald, Jurgita Adamonyte from Lithuania, Emma Vetter from Sweden and Chinese singer Xiaolin Zhou, winner of the audience award in the semifinals.


20th German-Jewish Dialogue on "Current perspectives and challenges for Europe and the Jewish community"

The purpose of the German-Jewish Dialogue is to promote understanding between policymakers in Germany and representatives of the Jewish community worldwide.For the last 13 years, the Bertelsmann Stiftung and London-based publisher Lord George Weidenfeld have regularly invited Jewish persons of renown from all over the world for confidential talks.These discussions with prominent representatives of the German government, the business community, culture and the media have become an instrument for building trust.The foundation's goal is to provide an authentic way to approach topics currently being discussed in Germany.In addition, participants have the opportunity to share their views on global developments in Jewish culture and the self-concept of the Jewish community in Germany.They also analyze the situation in Israel and the Middle East.


Opening event of the Demographic Change Forum, held under the auspices of German President Horst Köhler

In cooperation with the Bertelsmann Stiftung, the German president's Demographic Change Forum holds its second annual conference at Bellevue Palace on December 5 and 6, 2006.The conference centers on the Generation Y, the children of the baby boomers, who were born between 1985 and 1995.Significant challenges await the members of this generation when their parents start to retire.In addition to caring for the large population of baby boomers, they will be expected to launch their careers, start families of their own and invest their time and energy in volunteer work in the interest of social cohesion.Conditions for meeting those challenges are favorable, since the Millenials, the "echo boomer" generation, are also a relatively large cohort.Today's young people are prepared to devote a great deal of effort to finding their place in society, and they are willing to assume responsibility.However, they are also experiencing increasing demands in the labor market and finding it difficult to plan their future, given today's globalized markets.


2005 International Cultural Forum in New Delhi

In the global village, Europe and India are forced to communicate and compete in a world marked by increasing pluralism.Differing values and lifestyles call our own identities into question.Notable developments include the loss of jobs to offshoring, an increase in the importance of Indian culture in Europe, as demonstrated by the success of Bollywood productions, and international solidarity, as seen in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster.Both of these cultural regions face similar challenges:Internally, there is growing pressure to integrate diverse cultures and ethnicities.We also need to find ways to respond to an increase in religiously and ethnically motivated intolerance, which is putting long-standing secular values to the test.Externally, Europe and India are subject to similar global forces,as their security is threatened by religious fundamentalism and international terrorism.The war in Iraq has deeply divided the world and led to further terrorist attacks in Asia and Europe.


Establishment of the Liz Mohn Foundation for Culture and Music

The Liz Mohn Foundation for Culture and Music pursues objectives that are exclusively and immediately for the public benefit.Its aim is to promote art and culture, particularly music, as well as education and international understanding.The foundation’s primary focus is music,with special emphasis on providing support for young opera singers and music education.The Liz Mohn Foundation for Culture and Music also seeks to promote understanding between children and young people from different cultural backgrounds.It is currently providing support for the Opera Studio of Unter den Linden State Opera in Berlin and its participants.In addition, it helps to fund the Gütersloh Boys' Choir.