Bertelsmann

Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA
	Logo used since 2011
	Headquarters in Gütersloh
Company type	Private
Industry	Mass media
Founded	1 July 1835
Founder	Carl Bertelsmann
Headquarters	Gütersloh, Germany
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Thomas Rabe (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer); Carsten Coesfeld (Member of the Executive Board); Thomas Coesfeld (Member of the Executive Board); Rolf Hellermann (Chief Financial Officer); Immanuel Hermreck (Chief Human Resources Officer); Christoph Mohn (Chairman of the Supervisory Board);
Products	Publishing, record label, broadcasting, cable television, film production
Revenue	€18,988 million (2024)
Net income	€1,036 million (2024)
Total assets	€32,951 million (2024)
Total equity	€15,647 million (2024)
Owner	Bertelsmann Stiftung
Number of employees	74,607 (2024)
Subsidiaries	RTL Group (75.1%); Penguin Random House; BMG; Arvato Group; B. Marketing Services; B. Education Group; B. Investments;
Website	www.bertelsmann.com
	Footnotes / references; Annual Report 2024

The Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, commonly known as Bertelsmann (German pronunciation: [ˈbɛʁtl̩sˌman] ^ⓘ), is a German private multinational conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of the world's largest media conglomerates and is also active in the service sector and education.^[8]^[9]

Bertelsmann was founded as a publishing house by Carl Bertelsmann in 1835.^[10] After World War II, Bertelsmann, under the leadership of Reinhard Mohn, went from being a medium-sized enterprise to a major conglomerate, offering not only books but also television, radio, music, magazines and services.^[11] Its principal divisions include the RTL Group, Penguin Random House, BMG, Arvato, the Bertelsmann Marketing Services, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments.^[12]

Bertelsmann is an unlisted and capital market-oriented company,^[13] which remains primarily controlled by the Mohn family.^[14]^[15]

^ "Bertelsmann erinnert sich". Neue Westfälische (in German). 2 July 2015. p. 11.
^ Henry Mance; Jeevan Vasagar (27 April 2014). "Thomas Rabe, Bertelsmann CEO: from punk rock to family values". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
^ Scheppe, Michael. "Carsten Coesfeld: Mohn-Enkel rückt in Bertelsmann-Vorstand auf". Handelsblatt (in German).
^ Hinze, Henning. "Der zweite Bertels-Mann". Manager Magazin (in German).
^ "CFO-Wechsel bei Bertelsmann". Finance Magazin (in German). 5 November 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
^ "Personalchef übernimmt Schlüsselrolle". Die Glocke (in German). 31 December 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
^ Müssgens, Christian (30 August 2012). "Ein Familienwächter für Bertelsmann". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 19 May 2016.
^ Facht, Ulrika (15 June 2015). "The World's Largest Media Corporations, 2015". Nordic Information Centre for Media and Communication Research. Archived from the original on 15 October 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
^ Mortsiefer, Henrik (22 March 2016). "Bertelsmann stellt sich breiter auf". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 19 May 2016.
^ Grimm, Stephan (30 August 2012). "Bertelsmann druckt erstes Buch". Neue Westfälische (in German).
^ Gödecker, Thorsten (1 July 2010). "Geschichte mit Zukunft". Neue Westfälische (in German).
^ Renner, Kai-Hinrich (23 March 2016). "Bertelsmann sortiert sich neu". Handelsblatt (in German). p. 24.
^ "Capital Market Orientation". Investor Relations. Bertelsmann. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
^ "Medienmonarchie aus Gütersloh". Handelsblatt (in German). 30 January 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
^ "Es bleibt in der Familie". Wiener Zeitung (in German). 12 October 2011. p. 19.

[1] "Bertelsmann erinnert sich". Neue Westfälische (in German). 2 July 2015. p. 11.

[2] Henry Mance; Jeevan Vasagar (27 April 2014). "Thomas Rabe, Bertelsmann CEO: from punk rock to family values". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 May 2016.

[3] Scheppe, Michael. "Carsten Coesfeld: Mohn-Enkel rückt in Bertelsmann-Vorstand auf". Handelsblatt (in German).

[4] Hinze, Henning. "Der zweite Bertels-Mann". Manager Magazin (in German).

[5] "CFO-Wechsel bei Bertelsmann". Finance Magazin (in German). 5 November 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

[6] "Personalchef übernimmt Schlüsselrolle". Die Glocke (in German). 31 December 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

[7] Müssgens, Christian (30 August 2012). "Ein Familienwächter für Bertelsmann". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 19 May 2016.

[8] Facht, Ulrika (15 June 2015). "The World's Largest Media Corporations, 2015". Nordic Information Centre for Media and Communication Research. Archived from the original on 15 October 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.

[9] Mortsiefer, Henrik (22 March 2016). "Bertelsmann stellt sich breiter auf". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 19 May 2016.

[10] Grimm, Stephan (30 August 2012). "Bertelsmann druckt erstes Buch". Neue Westfälische (in German).

[11] Gödecker, Thorsten (1 July 2010). "Geschichte mit Zukunft". Neue Westfälische (in German).

[12] Renner, Kai-Hinrich (23 March 2016). "Bertelsmann sortiert sich neu". Handelsblatt (in German). p. 24.

[13] "Capital Market Orientation". Investor Relations. Bertelsmann. Retrieved 19 May 2016.

[14] "Medienmonarchie aus Gütersloh". Handelsblatt (in German). 30 January 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2016.

[15] "Es bleibt in der Familie". Wiener Zeitung (in German). 12 October 2011. p. 19.

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