Annual Report 2007

Dear Reader,
In February of 1977, Reinhard Mohn signed his name to the articles of incorporation that called the Bertelsmann Stiftung into being. The first sentence of that document gave his reason for doing so: his conviction that divergent economic and political systems were competing on a global scale and that Germany was paying too little attention to the consequences.

Today we well know that globalization is accelerating and that the trend toward interdependence is irreversible. Many are worried about ending up on the losing side, unable to share in the positive outcomes that change brings. If we are to address these concerns, bridges must be built to other cultures in order to generate a greater sense of confidence and certainty.