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News Item, , Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung Mourns Reinhard Mohn

It is with deep sadness that the Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation announces the death of its founder. Reinhard Mohn died on October 3, 2009, at the age of 88. Together with his wife Liz Mohn, he represented the fifth generation of the Bertelsmann and Mohn owner/benefactor families. Until the last, he followed the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s work closely, as a member of its Board of Trustees.

Dr. Gunter Thielen, Chairman & CEO of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, said: “The foundation’s executive board and staff are in mourning for their benefactor Reinhard Mohn. He spent more than 30 years building the Bertelsmann Stiftung, developing ideas and implementing projects which, in his words, would 'hopefully make society a little better’. Germany and the world have lost an outstanding personage, a luminary who played a formative role in post-war business and society in Germany.

Reinhard Mohn always regarded himself as an entrepreneur, philanthropist and citizen who actively embraced and shouldered responsibility. In the company, he developed a corporate culture founded on a decentralized approach to leadership, along with a high degree of autonomy and appreciation for individual employees. Civic engagement was a priority for him as both a businessman and citizen. Against this background, he set up the Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation with a clear mandate to contribute to the advancement of society, politics, business and culture. This was reiterated in his last book, “Global Lessons,” in which he very vividly links his ideas to his personal biography. We regard his untiring dedication as a mandate to continue our work in his spirit and to keep providing effective impetus for change and reformation. Our thoughts go out to his family, especially to his wife Liz Mohn and his children.”

Reinhard Mohn was born on June 29, 1921 in Gütersloh, Germany. After returning from POW camp and beginning an apprenticeship in book retail, Mohn took over the management of his family’s printing and publishing business (C. Bertelsmann Verlag) in 1947. He expanded the business beyond publishing and distribution, adding industrial and service operations, the magazine business, and finally, television.
Mohn put his stamp on and developed Bertelsmann’s corporate culture, based on the essential principles of partnership, creativity, entrepreneurship and social responsibility.

In 1977, he established the Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation. In 1993, he transferred the majority of capital shares in Bertelsmann AG to the foundation, which with 76.9 percent of shares is now the media enterprise’s biggest shareholder. In 1999, he shifted the voting rights for the Annual General Meeting of Bertelsmann AG to the newly founded Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft (BVG). By separating the capital from the voting rights Mohn took early steps to ensure Bertelsmann’s continuity and independence as a business.
 
During his lifetime, Reinhard Mohn received numerous honors and prizes in recognition of his outstanding achievements as an entrepreneur, benefactor and citizen, including the Federal Republic of Germany’s Great Cross of Merit with star, an honorary membership in the Club of Rome, the Spanish Grand Cross, and the Prince of Asturias Award. Mohn also was a recipient of the European Founder Award, the Schumpeter Award, and the Hans-Martin Schleyer Award, and in 2007 received the German Founders Award (Gründerpreis) for his lifetime achievement.

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