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Elisabeth (Liz) Mohn
Elisabeth (Liz) Mohn, born in 1941, is CEO of the Bertelsmann Asset Management Company, Member of the Supervisory Board of the Bertelsmann AG and Vice Chairperson of the Executive Board of the Bertelsmann Foundation. She is also Chairperson of the Bertelsmann Foundation’s Spanish Organization. Until her husband’s death in 2009, she headed the Foundation’s Health Department, Cultural Projects, and activities related to Corporate Culture and Corporate Governance.
Bertelsmann AG is a German multinational media corporation founded in 1835 and active in the areas of broadcasting, publishing, music, and media editing. The company operates in 63 countries, employs around 106 thousand workers (2008) and generated revenues of EUR 16 billion, net income of EUR 270 million and an operating EBIT of 1.6 billion in 2008. It is not publicly listed. 76.9 per cent of the stock is owned by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the rest by the Mohn family. Among the company’s divisions are the RTL Group (Europe’s largest broadcaster), Gruner + Jahr (Europe’s largest magazine publisher), Random House (the world’s largest book publisher), the Direct Group (the world’s largest consumer book und music club), and Arvato (a media and communications service provider).
The Bertelsmann Foundation, created in 1977, is the largest private non-profit foundation in Germany. It aims to promote democracy and reforms of governmental institutions and in many policy areas (social, health, education, economic, etc.). The foundation’s budget for 2005 amounted to EUR 56.7 million.
Mrs. Mohn joined Bertelsmann AG in 1958 as a receptionist after completing vocational training as a dentist assistant, and later married Reinhard Mohn.
She is President and Founder of the German Stroke Aid Society, a member of the Club of Rome, a member of the European Academy of Sciences of Vienna. Mrs. Mohn received a number of awards such as the European Foundation Prize (1996), the Bundesverdienstkreuz Erster Klasse of the German Federal Government (1996), the Charity Bambi (1996), the German Music Record Prize ECHO Klassik (2002), the Verdienstorden of the Land Berlin (2003), the Teddy Kollek Prize (2003, together with her husband), a honorary Degree of the University of Tel Aviv (2006), the Vernon A. Waters Award of the Atlantik-Brücke e.V. (2008), and the Karl Winnacker Prize of the German Atomic Forum (2009).