Bert Habets, CEO of RTL Group, and Axel Hentrei, CEO of the Bertelsmann Printing Group, are joining Bertelsmann's Group Management Committee (GMC) with immediate effect. Guillaume de Posch, who has been a member of the GMC since 2012, is stepping down from the Bertelsmann body, following his resignation as
RTL Group Co-CEO. The GMC advises and supports the Bertelsmann Executive Board on important matters of corporate strategy and development, as well as other Group-wide topics. It now has 16 members from six different nationalities.
Thomas Rabe, CEO of Bertelsmann, said: “Bert Habets and Axel Hentrei are a welcome addition to the Group Management Committee based on their experience and long tenure with Bertelsmann. I look forward to working even more closely with them in future.” Rabe added: “I would like to thank Guillaume de Posch for his valuable and always highly appreciated contributions to this body.”
Bert Habets (47) joined CLT-UFA in 1999, the predecessor company of today's RTL Group. In 2001, he was appointed CFO of RTL Nederland, then in 2008 was named CEO of the company, which he transformed from a traditional family of channels into an all-round media and entertainment company. In April 2017, Habets became Co-CEO of RTL Group alongside Guillaume de Posch and has been leading the company as its sole CEO since January 1, 2018.
Axel Hentrei (59) joined Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH in 1991 and took over the management of Mohn Media as CEO in 2008. From 2013, he was responsible for the
Arvato Print Solutions business until the beginning of 2016, when Bertelsmann pooled its printing businesses into the Bertelsmann Printing Group. Hentrei was initially appointed Co-CEO of the new division, and since October 1, 2016 has served as sole CEO of the Bertelsmann Printing Group.
Together with the Executive Board members Thomas Rabe (Chairman & CEO, Bertelsmann), Markus Dohle (CEO, Penguin Random House), Immanuel Hermreck (Chief HR Officer, Bertelsmann), Bernd Hirsch (Chief Financial Officer, Bertelsmann), and
Anke Schäferkordt (CEO, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland), the following senior Bertelsmann executives will now sit on the GMC:
• Bert Habets (CEO, RTL Group)
• Axel Hentrei (CEO, Bertelsmann Printing Group)
• Julia Jäkel (CEO, Gruner + Jahr)
• Kay Krafft (CEO, Bertelsmann Education Group)
• Andreas Krohn (CEO, Arvato CRM Solutions)
• Annabelle Yu Long (CEO, Bertelsmann China Corporate Center and Managing Partner, Bertelsmann Asia Investments)
• Hartwig Masuch (CEO, BMG)
• Gail Rebuck (Board Member Penguin Random House)
• Frank Schirrmeister (CEO, Arvato SCM Solutions)
• Karin Schlautmann (Executive Vice President Corporate Communications, Bertelsmann)
• Nicolas de Tavernost (Chairman of the Executive Board, Groupe M6)
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 116,000 employees and generated revenues of €17.0 billion in the 2016 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.
