Press Release | Gütersloh, 06/25/2020

Bertelsmann Supervisory Board Welcomes New Member Henrik Poulsen

Henrik Poulsen, Chief Executive Officer of the Danish energy company Ørsted, has been newly appointed to the Bertelsmann Supervisory Board. The international media, services and education group made the announcement following an extraordinary general meeting. Poulsen succeeds Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted, who retired from the Bertelsmann Supervisory Board in 2019. Poulsen has been at the helm of the Ørsted energy group since 2012. With annual revenues of around €9 billion, and 6,500 employees, the Danish company is a global market leader and pioneer in offshore wind energy.

Christoph Mohn, Chairman of the Bertelsmann Supervisory Board, said: "I am delighted that in Henrik Poulsen we have been able to recruit an outstanding and internationally accomplished entrepreneur for the Bertelsmann Supervisory Board. With his broad management experience, Henrik Poulsen is an enrichment for our Supervisory Board, not least in his capacity as CEO of a very economically successful and innovative, while equally sustainable, energy company. Bertelsmann has also set itself the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2030. On behalf of all members, I would like to warmly welcome Henrik Poulsen on the Bertelsmann Supervisory Board.

Henrik Poulsen holds a Master’s degree from Aarhus University School of Business & Social Sciences. After various management positions at McKinsey & Company, LEGO Group, and KKR, he joined TDC, Denmark's largest telephone company, as President/CEO in 2008. In 2012 he left to become President/CEO at DONG Energy. In 2017, the company was renamed Ørsted under Poulsen. In January 2020, Ørsted was voted the world's most sustainable company by the media and investment consultancy Corporate Knights. Since its initial public listing in 2016 Ørsted’s market value has increased by more than 200 percent to a market cap of €41 billion.

The Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaAis now composed as follows:

Christoph Mohn, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Chairman of the Reinhard Mohn Foundation Executive Board, Managing Director Christoph Mohn Internet Holding GmbH, Shareholder Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

Prof. Dr. Ing. Werner J. Bauer, Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board, former Head of Innovation, Technology, Research and Development, Nestlé AG, Shareholder Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

Kai Brettmann, Chairman of the RTL Group European Works Council, Chairman of the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland Corporate Works Council

Dr. Thomas Buberl, Chief Executive Officer AXA Group, Shareholder Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

Günter Göbel, Chairman of the Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA Corporate Works Council

Bernd Leukert, Chief Technology, Data, and Innovation Officer of Deutsche Bank AG

Gigi Levy-Weiss, Angel Investor

Dr. Brigitte Mohn, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, German Stroke Foundation, Member of the Executive Board, Bertelsmann Stiftung and Shareholder Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

Liz Mohn, Vice Chairwoman of the Executive Board, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Chairwoman of the Board, Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

Hans Dieter Pötsch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Volkswagen AG, Chairman of the Executive Board and CFO, Porsche Automobil Holding SE

Henrik Poulsen,Chief Executive Officer Ørsted

Christiane Sussieck, Chairwoman of the Corporate Works Council, Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Vice Chairwoman of the Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA Corporate Works Council

Bodo Uebber, former Member of the Executive Board, Daimler AG, Shareholder Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr, the music company BMG, the service provider Arvato, the Bertelsmann Printing Group, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds. The company has 126,000 employees and generated revenues of €18.0 billion in the 2019 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for creativity and entrepreneurship. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world. Bertelsmann aspires to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.