Shareholder Structure

Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA is a privately held Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien (KGaA; partnership limited by shares). 80.9 percent of the capital shares in Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA are held indirectly by foundations (Bertelsmann Stiftung, Reinhard Mohn Stiftung, BVG-Stiftung), and 19.1 percent are held indirectly by the Mohn family. All voting rights at the General Meeting of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Bertelsmann Management SE (general partner) are controlled by Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft (BVG).

Mohn Family

The Bertelsmann / Mohn Family is the founding family of the company. The publisher C. Bertelsmann Verlag was founded by Carl Bertelsmann in 1835; Reinhard Mohn, in the fifth generation of the founding family, took over the management of the company in 1947. Under his leadership Bertelsmann developed from a medium-sized printing and publishing company into one of the largest internationally active media companies. Reinhard Mohn transferred a large part of his capital share in Bertelsmann AG (now Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA) to the Bertelsmann Stiftung in 1993. Today, the Mohn Family owns 19.1 percent of the capital shares in Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA.

Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (BVG)

BVG’s mandate is to ensure continuity in Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA’s development and to manage the shareholder interests of the non-profit Bertelsmann Foundations and of the Mohn family. BVG is committed to safeguarding, implementing and enhancing the corporate culture developed by Reinhard Mohn. BVG controls 100 percent of the voting rights in the annual general meeting of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, which it exercises for these purposes as well as 100 percent of the voting rights in the annual general meeting of Bertelsmann Management SE.

Bertelsmann Stiftung

The Bertelsmann Stiftung is an independent, non-profit foundation which identifies social problem areas for which it develops and implements solutions. Its projects focus on education, economic and social affairs, health and international understanding. The Bertelsmann Stiftung was founded in 1977 by Reinhard Mohn, the former Chief Executive Officer and owner of the majority share of Bertelsmann, in order to continue the socio-political, cultural and social commitment of the founding family, Bertelsmann / Mohn, and to guarantee the continuity of Bertelsmann. Towards this purpose, Reinhard Mohn transferred a large part of the capital share in Bertelsmann AG (now Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA) to the Bertelsmann Stiftung in 1993.