Press Release

Press Release | Gütersloh, 07/09/2018

Günter Göbel Newly Elected to Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA

Günter Göbel (50), the new Chairman of the Corporate Works Council of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, has been elected to the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA as an employee representative. The election took place today at an extraordinary general meeting of the company following his nomination by the Corporate Works Council. Göbel joins the board with immediate effect. He succeeds Helmut Gettkant, who retires in October after 42 years at Bertelsmann, 34 of them in various works council roles, and four years as Chairman of the Corporate Works Council of Bertelsmann, and had already stepped down from the Supervisory Board in May upon the expiry of his term of office at the end of the regular Annual General Meeting. Following Göbel's election, the Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA Supervisory Board continues to have five employee representatives.

Christoph Mohn, Chairman of the Bertelsmann Supervisory Board, says: “Günter Göbel knows Bertelsmann, our corporate culture of partnership, and our employees’ concerns very well. He has been with the company since his apprenticeship and has served on works councils for seven years. During this time, Günter Göbel has earned great respect. As the new Chairman of the Bertelsmann Corporate Works Council, he will enrich the board’s discussions. The Supervisory Board looks forward to a trustful working relationship for the benefit of the company.”

Günter Göbel, 50, is a Project Manager B2B at BFS Finance GmbH, an Arvato Financial Solutions (AFS) company based in Verl near Gütersloh. Born in Recklinghausen, he has lived in East Westphalia since 1978. After school, he trained as an industrial clerk at Bertelsmann, joined the Bundeswehr and returned to BFS Finance in 1990. He was first elected to the works council in 2011, and appointed to the Corporate Works Council three years later. Göbel is married and has three children.

TheSupervisory 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

Murat Cetin, Chairman of the Works Council, Arvato Direct Services Dortmund GmbH, Chairman of the General Works Council, Arvato CRM II

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

Ian Hudson, Chairman of the International Management Representative Committee of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, CEO Dorling Kindersley (DK)

Bernd Leukert, Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE

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

Kasper Rorsted, Chief Executive Officer, Adidas AG

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, Member of the Executive Board, Daimler AG 

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 119,000 employees and generated revenues of €17.2 billion in the 2017 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for entrepreneurship and creativity. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world.