Board of Trustees

Werner J. Bauer is the former chairman of the Supervisory Board of Nestlé Deutschland AG. As executive vice president of Nestlé AG, he was head of the company’s Technical, Production, Research and Development Division until August 2013. Born in 1950 in Prien, Germany, he studied chemical engineering in Erlangen-Nuremberg. His professional career began in the scientific field; among other positions he has held, he was professor of chemical engineering at the Technical University of Hamburg and director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Food Technology & Packaging in Munich. Since 1990, he has served Nestlé in different capacities. From 1998 to 2002 he worked for Nestlé South and East Africa as technical manager. In 2002 he became executive vice-president and was responsible for the company’s technology, environmental and R&D activities worldwide. From 2007 to August 2013 he not only served as executive vice president, but also as head of the Innovation, Technology, Research and Development Division.

He has been a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees since 2003, and has served as its chairman since November 15, 2011.

He has also been a shareholder of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH since April 2008 and a member of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA since August 2012 respectively its vice-chairman since May 2017.

Following the death of her husband, Reinhard Mohn, philanthropist Liz Mohn represents the fifth generation of the Bertelsmann/Mohn founding family. Until June 2021, she was a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, where she was responsible for initiatives on modern leadership and corporate social responsibility, strengthening social cohesion and values, and promoting culture and music education. As a bridge-builder across languages and borders, she has used a variety of events to establish networks in different countries and cultures. Today, she is the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s worldwide representative and an honorary member of its Board of Trustees.

She leads the Liz Mohn Center, a nonprofit institution affiliated with the Bertelsmann Stiftung. Founded in 2021, the center brings together areas that Liz Mohn has always addressed in her work: international understanding and business topics focusing on contemporary leadership issues, as well as cultural projects and the promotion of talent. The center provides continuity for many of the internationally recognized dialogue venues she has initiated, such as the Trilogue Salzburg and the German-Spanish Forum, and develops them further. It also organizes leadership camps and executive trainings for next leaders, while promoting sustainable, responsible leadership through various events and media.    

Liz Mohn is head of the NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition, which she initiated. In addition, the Liz Mohn Foundation for Culture and Music allows her to strengthen her cultural commitment. Through the foundation, which she launched in 2005, she wants to highlight the importance of culture and music for both individuals and society as a whole. As president of the German Stroke Foundation, which she established, she promotes education, research, prevention and the development of a national and international network.

Moreover, she is president of the Board of Trustees of the Spain-based Fundación Bertelsmann and president of the Board of Directors of the Bertelsmann Foundation North America.

She is a member of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, and is a shareholder of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH.

Born in Stuttgart in 1950, Wolf Bauer studied Journalism and History of Art in Munich and Berlin (graduating with M.A. honours). He initially began working from 1976 as a political features writer for the ZDF programme "Kennzeichen D".

In 1980, Wolf Bauer came to UFA Film- und Fernsehproduktion as an editor and producer and has served as executive producer and CEO for UFA Film & TV Produktion from 1991 to 2017.

Under his leadership, UFA has developed into a production group with seven subsidiaries which have continuously expanded their leading market position as a film and television producer in Germany in recent years. As head of UFA, Wolf Bauer founded Grundy UFA in 1991 with Reg Grundy, the Australian gameshow and daily drama pioneer. Together with Mike Murphy, the two turned it into Europe's largest producer of daily dramas. In 1998, he joined forces with Prof. Nico Hofmann and Ariane Krampe to set up teamWorx which established itself within six years to become one of the Top 5 German producers with the production of quality TV movies and fiction programmes with event character. In early 2008, he founded UFA Cinema with Thomas Peter Friedl, Prof. Nico Hofmann and Dr. Jürgen Schuster and served as CEO and producer until August, 31,2017.

From 2001 to 2007, Wolf Bauer was on the board of film20, an interest group for film production. He has also been a member since 2001 of the Advisory Board East for the Deutsche Bank and the chairman of the advisory board for the Erich Pommer Institut. Since 2008, Wolf Bauer has belonged to the board of the German Producers Alliance (Allianz deutscher Produzenten).

Wolf Bauer has been a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees since 2008.

Carsten Coesfeld is CEO of Bertelsmann Investments. He is responsible for the Group's global network of funds with 300 investments and he heads the Bertelsmann Next initiative to develop new growth sectors and lines of business. In addition Carsten Coesfeld is a member of Bertelsmann's Group Management Committee (GMC).

After graduating from WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management with his bachelor's degree and from London School of Economics with his master's degree Carsten Coesfeld started his career at Goldman Sachs in London in October 2009. His career at Bertelsmann began in 2011 as management associate for the Chief Executive Officer. In 2012, he moved to New York City to join Penguin Random House where he held various business development and strategy roles. Afterwards, Coesfeld was a member of BFS Health Finance's management board, part of Arvato Financial Services Solutions, and built the new business of revenue cycle management for hospitals. Subsequently, Coesfeld served as President and Managing Director at Arvato Supply Chain Solutions and transformed the telecommunications and tech business. Coesfeld became CEO of the London-based global nonfiction publisher Dorling Kindersley (DK) in March 2020 and was also a member of Group Executive Committee of Penguin Random House.

Carsten Coesfeld has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Bertelsmann Stiftung since 2018 and is on the Advisory Board of Bundesvereinigung Logistik.

^{© Bertelsmann, Photographer Kai Uwe Oesterhelweg}

Thomas Coesfeld is CFO of BMG, a music company and Bertelsmann subsidiary.

After studying business administration in Vallendar, Washington and Atlanta, he began his professional career in 2014 as a management consultant at McKinsey. He joined Bertelsmann at the beginning of 2016 and initially spent one year working for several subsidiaries – including BMG and Relias in the US – as part of the Bertelsmann Entrepreneurs Program (BEP). Coesfeld was previously a member of the Executive Committee at the Bertelsmann Printing Group and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Mohn Media in Gütersloh. He is Chief Financial Officer of BMG and the company's CFO and a member of its executive team effective April 1, 2021.   

Thomas Coesfeld has been a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees since 2021.

Born in Stuttgart in 1965, Christoph Mohn studied business administration at the University of Münster. From 1992 to 1994, he worked at the Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) in New York and Hong Kong. From 1994 to 1996 he worked for the consulting group McKinsey & Company in its Electronics and Telecommunications division. In 1996, he joined the Bertelsmann subsidiary Telemedia as vice-president of Business Development. From 1997 to 2009, he served as CEO of Lycos Europe, which was formed from a joint venture with US-based Lycos Inc.

He is chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and of Bertelsmann Management SE. He is family spokesman and chairman of the Steering Committee of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. In addition, he is chairman of the Reinhard Mohn Stiftung and managing director of Christoph Mohn Internet Holding GmbH.

Christoph Mohn has been a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees since 2009.

Carolina Müller-Möhl, born 1968 in Zurich, studied political science at the Freie Universität in Berlin and the London School of Economics. She also completed further studies at the Harvard Kennedy School and Singularity University. Since 2000, she has been managing and presiding the Müller-Möhl Group, a single family office founded by her that actively manages the family's investments. She also holds numerous mandates, including as a member of the Board of Directors of Fielmann AG Deutschland. She is also a member of the advisory board of the University of St. Gallen, Avenir Suisse and the Zurich University of the Arts. In 2012, she founded the Müller-Möhl Foundation, which she has been chairing ever since. Carolina Müller-Möhl was nominated Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2007.

Carolina Müller-Möhl has been a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees since 2013.

 ^{© European Union}

From 1999 to 2014 Viviane Reding was Member of the European Commission. From 1999, she was responsible for culture, education and media, from 2004 for technology, telecommunication and media, from 2009 Vice-President of the European Commission for Justice, fundamental rights and citizenship. Between 1979 and 1989 the long-standing journalist represented her electorate in the Luxemburgish Chamber of Deputies, then from 1989 to 1999 and from 2014 to 2018 in the European Parliament (key issues: employment, petitions, fundamental freedoms and home affairs). 

Since the 2018 national elections Viviane Reding is back in the Luxemburgish Chamber of Deputies.

Dr. Viviane Reding has been a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees since 2015.

Born in Solingen in 1959, Bodo Uebber studied industrial engineering at the University of Karlsruhe. He has been an independent management consultant since 2020. From 2003 to 2019, he was a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG. He also served on the Investment Advisory Board at Germany’s Stifterverband association. From 2009 to 2012, he was chairman of the Board of Directors of EADS, now Airbus SE. He has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA since 2011. In addition, he is a shareholder of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. In 2019, he was appointed to a five-year term on the Supervisory Board of Adidas AG. He also chairs the Supervisory Board of the investment bank Evercore in Germany.

Bodo Uebber has been a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees since 2021.