Hannes Ametsreiter appointed chairman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board

Prof. Dr. Ing. Werner J. Bauer, chairman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees, says, "On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to thank Ralph Heck for his effective leadership of the Bertelsmann Stiftung over the past almost five years. He has successfully focused the foundation’s work and put the spotlight on two topics – social cohesion and a sustainable, competitive German economy – that are of the utmost timeliness and importance. I would already like to welcome his successor, Hannes Ametsreiter, an internationally experienced and renowned manager, to the Bertelsmann Stiftung. As chairman of the Vodafone Stiftung’s Advisory Board he gained valuable experience, including in the non-profit sector, which he will be contributing to the Bertelsmann Stiftung and its project work."  

Liz Mohn, founder and honorary member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees, adds, "I am delighted to welcome Ralph Heck back to the Board of Trustees after his successful tenure as chairman of the foundation’s Executive Board. It is good to know that a person and entrepreneur of his caliber will continue to help shape the important social issues addressed by the Bertelsmann Stiftung. I wish Hannes Ametsreiter every possible success in his new role. I am very much looking forward to working with him and benefitting from his expertise in the foundation’s work, especially in the area of digitally transforming school education."   

Ralph Heck, chairman of the foundation’s Executive Board, says: "In the past almost five years, including under the difficult conditions resulting from Covid, we have set the course for the future in many important ways, both within the Bertelsmann Stiftung and through its work. I would like to thank the Board of Trustees, my colleagues on the Executive Board and all of the foundation’s employees for their trust and outstanding collaboration. Together, we have implemented many changes that have further strengthened cooperation within the foundation. It has been a very enriching time in which we as a foundation have achieved a great deal and contributed to the social good through a range of initiatives. I look forward to accompanying the foundation on its future path as a member of the Board of Trustees."

Hannes Ametsreiter, designated chairman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, says, "I would like to thank the Board of Trustees of the Bertelsmann Stiftung for the trust they have placed in me. The challenges in Germany, Europe and the world are, unfortunately, currently getting bigger rather than smaller. The Bertelsmann Stiftung’s most important task is, and will remain, not to lose sight of the individual and, at the same time, identify new ways forward for society. I am therefore delighted that I will be doing my best to help the foundation achieve its goal: promoting participation in a society that is becoming politically, economically and culturally ever more complex. This is an important and exciting task for the foundation’s team and for me."  

As of January 1, 2025, the members of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board will be Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter (Chairman), Dr. Brigitte Mohn and Prof. Dr. Daniela Schwarzer.

After serving as a member of the foundation’s Board of Trustees beginning in 2012, Ralph Heck took on the lead role at the foundation in 2020 as chairman of its Executive Board. Following a successful international career as a consultant and senior partner at McKinsey & Company from 1982 to 2016, he managed his own portfolio of companies. He has also served on various supervisory bodies. As chairman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, he has realigned the organization, defined clear strategic focus areas and further developed and increased the foundation's impact on the national and international levels.

Hannes Ametsreiter can look back on over 21 years of experience serving as a board member in various countries. He began his professional career at Procter & Gamble. This was followed by many years in management positions in the telecommunications industry. He became CEO of the Telekom Austria Group in 2009. In 2015, he moved to the Vodafone Group, one of the world’s largest telecommunications enterprises, where he was a member of the global Group Executive Team. At the same time, he served as CEO of the group’s German company, its largest national organization, managing the company with more than 16,000 employees and annual sales of over €13 billion.