Elisabeth Mohn is a German billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist. Mohn, who was married to Reinhard Mohn until his death in 2009, represents the fifth generation of the family that founded and continues to play a leading role at the Bertelsmann media group. She is chairwoman of the shareholders' meeting and of the steering committee of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft, where she serves as family spokesperson. She is also a member of the governance bodies at Bertelsmann. In addition, she serves as the vice-chairwoman of Bertelsmann Stiftung's executive board and its board of trustees. Mohn has been recognized with numerous awards for her extensive civic engagement, among them the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Life
After completing her schooling, Mohn began an apprenticeship as a dental hygienist. She later applied to become a telephone operator at Bertelsmann and subsequently worked for the company's book club. At the age of 17 she met Reinhard Mohn. In 1963, she married the editor Joachim Scholz; the couple separated in 1978. In 1982, Reinhard Mohn's first marriage ended in divorce. Liz and Reinhard Mohn married the same year. He adopted their biological children Brigitte Mohn, and.
In the following years, Liz Mohn gradually began playing a greater role at the company and foundation: In 1986, she joined the Bertelsmann Stiftung's advisory council. In 1999, she was asked to become a member of the shareholders' meeting of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft, which controls the voting rights at the media group's annual general meeting. In 2000, she also joined the executive committee of the Bertelsmann Stiftung; the foundation indirectly holds a majority of shares in the Bertelsmann group. In 2002, Mohn advanced to the top position at Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft, where she also became the family spokesperson; in addition, she joined the supervisory board at Bertelsmann. With that, she took on a leading role overseeing the company. Mohn became her husband's successor upon his death in 2009. Among other rights, he had granted her a veto at Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft. She was also awarded a majority of the founder's rights at the Bertelsmann Stiftung which allows her, for example, to propose members for the board of trustees. As a result of her dual role at the company and the foundation, Mohn has received considerable media attention. One reason for this is the assertion that the Bertelsmann Stiftung does not completely separate its nonprofit activities from the company's commercial interests.
Philanthropy
In 1987, Mohn launched the Neue Stimmen International Singing Competition. She was inspired to do so by Herbert von Karajan, who noted that too little was being done to promote new opera talent. Organized by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, the competition has since become an internationally recognized forum for discovering up-and-coming opera singers. In addition, Mohn initiated a project in 1999 for promoting music appreciation and education among children, especially in primary schools. In 1992, she founded the nonprofit, which works to prevent and increase awareness of stroke. She was motivated to do so by a medical condition affecting one of her sons which caused symptoms that resembled a stroke. Mohn is president of the foundation and her daughter Brigitte serves as chairwoman of its board of trustees. A key activity in this area is the Roseball, at which Mohn collects donations to be used for fighting the illness. In 2005, Mohn expanded her efforts to promote music appreciation and education by establishing the Liz Mohn Foundation for Culture and Music. The foundation carries out numerous activities: staging musicals for children and young people, for example, and awarding scholarships to opera singers. To achieve its goals, the foundation partners with the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden and other organizations. It currently has an endowment of €16.2 million and Mohn serves as the chairwoman of its executive board. As vice-chairwoman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung executive board, Mohn is responsible for the programs Germany and Asia, Living Values, Discovering Music, and Business in Society, as well as the Competence Center for Leadership and Corporate Culture. She is also president of the board of trustees of the Fundación Bertelsmann and is a member of the board of directors of the Bertelsmann Foundation North America. She is also member of IESE's International Advisory Board.
