Gerhard Zeiler Appointed to Bertelsmann AG Executive Board
The Bertelsmann AG Supervisory Board announces the appointment of Gerhard Zeiler, Chief Executive Officer of RTL Group, to the Bertelsmann Executive Board effective October 1, 2005. Zeiler will take on this position in addition to his current duties.
Gerhard Zeiler (50) has been at the helm of RTL Group, Europe’s leading television, radio and TV production company since March 2003. In this capacity, he was a permanent guest on the Bertelsmann AG Executive Board. Zeiler joined the company in November 1998 as Managing Director of the German group of channels clustered around RTL Television. Under his management, the German family of channels became the international media company’s biggest profit center.
Bertelsmann AG Chairman & CEO Gunter Thielen comments on the appointment: “RTL Group is already the group’s biggest generator of revenues and profits. However, it is nowhere near the end of its plans for expansion – which is why we have continued investing heavily in the TV business in recent weeks. This is the right time for Gerhard Zeiler to become a member of the Bertelsmann AG Executive Board. Mr. Zeiler is an outstanding TV professional whose counsel and experience make him a valuable addition to our team. All heads of our six corporate divisions now hold a seat on the Bertelsmann AG Executive Board. This reflects our company’s tradition of decentralized organization.”
Gerhard Zeiler: A Short Biography
Gerhard Zeiler was born in Vienna on July 20, 1955. He studied psychology, sociology and educational science. In 1979, after working as a freelance journalist for a few months, he was hired as Press Spokesman for the Austrian Minister of Education and the Arts, Dr. Fred Sinowatz. He followed Sinowatz to the chancellor’s office in 1983, and later continued working in the same capacity for Chancellor Dr. Franz Vranitzky. In November 1986, Gerhard Zeiler joined the TV business: he became secretary general of the ORF. In Munich, the early 1990s saw Zeiler building the Tele 5 TV channel as its sole Managing Director. He served as Managing Director of RTL 2 from 1992 to 1994, then went on to modernize the historic public broadcasting institution ORF in Vienna as its new Director before accepting an appointment as Managing Director of the German family of channels centered around RTL Television in Cologne in November 1998. Since March 2003, Gerhard Zeiler has served as Chief Executive Officer of RTL Group in Luxembourg.
- Bio of Gerhard Zeiler under Bertelsmann AG / Management
- Photos of Gerhard Zeiler under Press / Photos / Senior Executives
About Bertelsmann AG
The media company Bertelsmann commands globally leading positions in the major markets. Its core business is the creation of first-class media content. Bertelsmann includes RTL Group, Europe’s No.1 in television and radio, as well as the world’s biggest book-publishing group, Random House, with more than 100 publishing imprints (Alfred A. Knopf, Bantam, Goldmann). Gruner + Jahr, the European No.1 in magazine publishing (Stern, Geo, Capital) and the BMG music division – comprised of the Sony BMG joint venture (Anastacia, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Dido, Usher) and BMG Music Publishing – also stand for creativity and powerful brands. The Arvato division bundles the group’s media services, which include the expanding units Arvato Logistics Services and Arvato Direct Services (distribution, service centers, customer relationship management), along with state-of-the-art printers, storage media production and comprehensive IT-services. Bertelsmann’s direct-to-customer businesses are bundled in Direct Group: book and music clubs with more than 35 million members all over the world.
For further questions, please contact:
Oliver Herrgesell
Senior Vice President Media Relations
Phone: +49 – 52 41 – 80 24 66
