Bodo Uebber appointed new chairman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees

Liz Mohn, founder and honorary member of the Board of Trustees, says: "I would like to personally thank Werner Bauer for his extremely successful track record and trusting cooperation during the years he has led the Board of Trustees. He has always exhibited a clear understanding of the social challenges of our time and ensured that the foundation has contributed new ideas in a changing world and thus increased its impact. His work has been formative for the Bertelsmann Stiftung. His successor, Bodo Uebber, is recognized for his extensive corporate experience and successful leadership. He understands how to combine entrepreneurial foresight with social responsibility. I am much looking forward to working with him as chairman of the Board of Trustees."  

As he leaves the foundation’s Board of Trustees, Prof. Dr. Ing. Werner J. Bauer says, "I am pleased to have had the opportunity over many years to help shape society’s future and develop solutions to the pressing problems of our time as chairman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees. Independent, non-profit institutions like the Bertelsmann Stiftung, which was founded almost 50 years ago, are more valuable today than ever before."

Commenting on his appointment, Bodo Uebber, the new chairman of the Board of Trustees, says, "I would like to express my thanks for the trust that has been placed in me. I firmly believe that the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Board of Trustees will contribute forward-looking ideas to society and democracy in these challenging times. We are convinced that there is always a way to ‘make things better,’ as our founder Reinhard Mohn once put it."

Werner J. Bauer is the former chairman of the Supervisory Board of Nestlé Deutschland AG and was responsible for Technology, Production, Research and Development as executive vice president of Nestlé AG until August 2013. Born in Prien (Germany) in 1950, he studied chemical engineering in Erlangen-Nuremberg and then initially pursued a career in science; among other positions he has held, he was professor of chemical engineering at the Technical University of Hamburg and director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Food Technology and Packaging in Munich. He joined Nestlé in 1990 where he held a number of positions. From 2007 to 2013, not only was he executive vice president, but also head of the Innovation, Technology, Research and Development division. He has been a shareholder of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH since April 2008. He has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA since August 2012 and its vice-chairman since May 2017.

Born in Solingen in 1959, Bodo Uebber studied industrial engineering at the University of Karlsruhe. He has worked as an independent management consultant since 2020. From 2003 to 2019, he was a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG. He was also a member of the Investment Advisory Board of the German Stifterverband association. He was chairman of the Board of Directors of EADS, now Airbus SE, from 2009 to 2012. Since 2011, he has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and of Bertelsmann Management SE. He has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Adidas AG since 2019 and chairman of the Supervisory Board of Evercore GmbH since 2021. At the end of 2023, he was appointed chairman of the Supervisory Board of Flix SE.

The Board of Trustees serves as an advisory and controlling body made up of individuals who have demonstrated ongoing interest in the work of the foundation. It works closely and constructively with the Executive Board to support the foundation's development and oversee its management.

Bodo Uebber (Chairman)

Independent corporate consultant and former member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG. Member of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA. Shareholder of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. Member of the Supervisory Board of Adidas AG. Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Flix SE and of Evercore GmbH
 

Liz Mohn

Founder and honorary member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Board of Trustees. Member of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA. Shareholder of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH
 

Anna Maria Braun

CEO of B. Braun SE

Prof. Dr. Alena Buyx

Director of the Institute for the History and Ethics of Medicine at the Technical University of Munich

Saori Dubourg

CEO of Greiner AG

Dr. Ralph Heck

Former chairman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board

Arancha González Laya

Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po in Paris. Former

Spanish Minister of Foreign

Christoph Mohn

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA. Family spokesman and chairman of the Steering Committee of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. Chairman of the Reinhard Mohn Stiftung. Managing Director of Christoph Mohn Internet Holding GmbH

Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart (Vice-Chairman)

Professor of Innovation and Technology Management at TUD Dresden University of Technology. Former Deputy Minister President of the State of North

Rhine–Westphalia

Matthias Schulz

Artistic Director of Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin. Designated Artistic Director of the Zurich Opera House