Mathias Döpfner

Döpfner was born on 15 January 1963 in Bonn.{{Cite news |last=Turvill |first=William |date=7 June 2025 |title=Meet Axel Springer’s media mogul — just don’t call him that |url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/axel-springer-mathias-dopfner-03pjzrktt |work=The Sunday Times |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250607210436/https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/axel-springer-mathias-dopfner-03pjzrktt |archive-date=7 June 2025 |url-status=live}} He grew up in Offenbach am Main. His mother was a housewife and his father, Dieter C. Döpfner, was a university professor of architecture and director of the Offenbach College of Applied Arts from 1966 to 1970.{{cite web|url=http://www.hfg-offenbach.de/index.php?nodeId=2701|title=HfG Offenbach|accessdate=30 June 2016|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018043544/http://www.hfg-offenbach.de/index.php?nodeId=2701|archivedate=18 October 2014}}

Döpfner studied musicology, German literature and theater science in Frankfurt and Boston. He obtained a Ph.D. in musicology in 1990 from the University of Frankfurt.{{Cite web |editor-last=Kallternborn |editor-first=Dr. Olaf |title=Goethe-Universität — Dissertation von Dr. Mathias Döpfner: Kommission legt Prüfungsergebnis vor |url=https://www.puk.uni-frankfurt.de/131194388/Dissertation_von_Dr__Mathias_D%C3%B6pfner__Kommission_legt_Pr%C3%BCfungsergebnis_vore |access-date= |website=Goethe University}} A committee of the university found in 2023 that he had engaged in scientific misconduct by using a number of blind quotations and unchecked literature references.{{Cite news |date=2023-01-20 |title=Mathias Döpfner darf Doktortitel behalten – trotz wissenschaftlichen Fehlverhaltens |language=de |work=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/bildung/mathias-doepfner-darf-doktortitel-behalten-trotz-wissenschaftlichen-fehlverhaltens-a-22a3535a-3d47-4408-b29d-21bfa4479c4a |access-date=2023-04-20 |issn=}} The committee found a significantly lower plagiarism count than the original complaint alleged. Because of this, the findings were not sufficient to revoke his doctoral degree.

File:Düzen Tekkal, Friede Springer, Mathias Döpfner, Kai Diekmann, and Julian Reichelt, June 2019.jpg, Mathias Döpfner, Kai Diekmann and Julian Reichelt on the roof of the US Embassy in Berlin (2019)]]

Döpfner began his career in 1982 as the music critic of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) supplement. In 1992, after working as the FAZ correspondent in Brussels, Döpfner moved to Gruner + Jahr – initially working under board member Axel Ganz in Paris, then as an assistant to CEO Gerd Schulte-Hillen.

In April 1994, Döpfner became editor-in-chief of the Berlin weekly newspaper Wochenpost, and in 1996, he assumed the role of editor-in-chief of the Hamburg tabloid Hamburger Morgenpost.

In March 1998, Döpfner became editor-in-chief of Axel Springer SE's national daily newspaper Die Welt. He was a member of the management board and head of the newspaper division of Axel Springer SE in 2000, and rose to CEO in 2002.{{Cite web |title=Mathias Doepfner |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/mathias-doepfner/ |access-date= |website=Forbes |language=en}}

As CEO, Döpfner initiated a two-stage digital transformation strategy, beginning in 2006, focusing on organic growth and digital acquisitions to transition the company towards digitization.{{Cite web |last1=Burgelman |first1=Robert |last2=Siegel |first2=Robert |last3=Kissick |first3=Ryan |title=Axel Springer in 2016: From Transformation to Acceleration? |url=https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/axel-springer-2016-transformation-acceleration |access-date= |website=Stanford Graduate School of Business |language=en}} By 2013, under his leadership, the company had total revenues of $3.9 billion, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $625 million.{{Cite web |last1=Burgelman |first1=Robert |last2=Siegel |first2=Robert |last3=Luther |first3=Jason |title=Axel Springer in 2014: Strategic Leadership of the Digital Media Transformation |url=https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/axel-springer-2014-strategic-leadership-digital-media-transformation |access-date= |website=Stanford Graduate School of Business |language=en}}

In 2020, Friede Springer appointed Mathias Döpfner as her successor through a combination of gifting, selling, and transferring voting rights associated with her shares in the company. As part of this transition, Springer sold a 4.1% share directly to Döpfner and gifted him an additional 15%, thereby increasing his direct ownership to 22%. Furthermore, Springer transferred to Döpfner the voting rights for her remaining 22% stake in the company.Klaus Lauer and Douglas Busvine (24 September 2018), [https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN26F2QK Axel Springer heiress anoints CEO Doepfner to succeed her at German publisher] Reuters.

In February 2023 The Economist reported on Döpfner's plans to expand the Springer group's media presence in the United States.{{Cite news |date=February 23, 2023 |title=Axel Springer is going all in on America |url=https://www.economist.com/business/2023/02/23/axel-springer-is-going-all-in-on-america |access-date=February 25, 2023 |newspaper=The Economist}}

Döpfner is also known for his activism and outspoken views on media, socio-political, economic, and cultural issues. He has been involved in public debates with figures such as Nobel laureate Günter Grass.{{Cite news |last=Hawley |first=Charles |date=2012-04-05 |title=German Commentators Blast Günter Grass Poem on Israel and Iran |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-commentators-blast-guenter-grass-poem-on-israel-and-iran-a-826007.html |access-date= |work=Der Spiegel |language=en |issn=2195-1349}}{{Cite news |date=2012-04-05 |title=Author Günter Grass Seeks to Fend Off International Criticism |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/author-guenter-grass-seeks-to-fend-off-international-criticism-a-826120.html |access-date= |work=Der Spiegel |language=en |issn=2195-1349}} These discussions have covered a range of topics, from the challenges posed by Islamic fundamentalism to perceptions of the United States in Germany, and evaluations of the 1968 movement's legacy.

In an essay for WELT, titled The West and the mocking laughter of Islamism, Döpfner articulated his concerns about Islamism's threats.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Döpfner considers himself a "non-Jewish Zionist."{{Cite web |last=Berggren |first=Andreas |date=2014-06-19 |title=No search party in Europe |url=https://www.jpost.com/magazine/personal-notes/no-search-party-in-europe-359886 |access-date= |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}} According to Pankaj Mishra, Mathias’ self-declared motto is "Zionism above all" (Zionismus über alles), the phrase similar to the first line of the German national anthem, Deutschland Über Alles (later removed from the anthem due to its association with Nazi Germany). {{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/jan/30/israel-and-the-delusions-of-germanys-memory-culture | title=Israel and the delusions of Germany's 'memory culture' | work=The Guardian | date=30 January 2025 | last1=Mishra | first1=Pankaj }}

In 2010, as a visiting professor at the University of Cambridge, Döpfner delivered a series of lectures entitled "Freedom and the Digital Revolution." These talks explored the complex relationship Germans have with the concept of freedom, the worldwide decline of freedom, and how the digital era represents a significant cultural shift impacting press freedom, privacy, and journalism.{{cite web |title=Freedom and the Digital Revolution: the freedom trap – CRASSH |url=http://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/1469/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906050225/http://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/1469/ |archive-date=6 September 2016 |accessdate=30 June 2016 |publisher=}} In the letter, he highlighted Google's substantial share in internet searches and advocated for transparency in search result algorithms based on qualitative criteria.{{Cite news |last=Döpfner |first=Mathias |date=2014-04-17 |title=Mathias Döpfner's open letter to Eric Schmidt |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/mathias-doepfner-s-open-letter-to-eric-schmidt-12900860.html |access-date= |work=FAZ.NET |language=de |issn=0174-4909}}{{Cite web |title=An open letter to Eric Schmidt from Mathias Döpfner |url=https://alainelkanninterviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/LetterMathiasDoepfnerEricSchmidt.pdf}}

In 2014, Döpfner wrote an open letter to the executive chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, where he voiced apprehensions about Google evolving into a "superstate" beyond regulatory reach.{{cite news |last=Döpfner |first=Mathias |date=17 April 2014 |title=An open letter to Eric Schmidt: Why we fear Google |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/mathias-doepfner-s-open-letter-to-eric-schmidt-12900860.html |accessdate=30 June 2016 |newspaper=FAZ.NET |publisher=}}

Döpfner's contributions to discussions on media policy speeches at events such as the NOAH Conference Berlin 2015{{cite web |last=NoahAdvisors |date=21 June 2015 |title=Dr. Mathias Döpfner, Axel Springer – NOAH15 Berlin |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6QR4HIGBoo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/g6QR4HIGBoo |archive-date=21 December 2021 |accessdate=30 June 2016 |publisher= |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} and the SPIEGEL Publishers Forum,{{cite web |date=5 June 2015 |title=Mathias Döpfner: "Viele Journalisten klingen heute wie Anzeigenverkäufer" |url=http://meedia.de/2015/06/05/mathias-doepfner-viele-journalisten-klingen-heute-wie-anzeigenverkaeufer/ |accessdate=30 June 2016 |publisher=}} focusing on the monetization of online content and the distinction between private and public media in the digital space.

Döpfner publicly supported German satirist Jan Böhmermann in 2016 following controversy over Böhmermann's satirical poem about Turkish President Erdoğan, which led to legal challenges.[https://www.welt.de/debatte/kommentare/article154171281/Solidaritaet-mit-Jan-Boehmermann.html Solidarität mit Jan Böhmermann!], Die Welt, in German{{cite web |date=10 May 2016 |title=Huffington Post |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/erdogan-injunction-mathias-doepfner_us_5731e10be4b016f37896ea9d |accessdate=6 July 2016 |publisher= |via=huffingtonpost.com}} Erdogan subsequently applied for an injunction against Döpfner in May 2016 at a German Court. The request was rejected in the first and second instance.

Döpfner condemned Kuwait Airlines in 2017 for barring an Israeli passenger from a flight.[https://www.businessinsider.de/german-court-ruled-in-favor-of-airline-that-refused-israeli-passenger-2017-11?r=US&IR=T A German court ruled in favor of an airline that refused to fly an Israeli passenger — and there isn't enough outrage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008174946/https://www.businessinsider.de/german-court-ruled-in-favor-of-airline-that-refused-israeli-passenger-2017-11?r=US&IR=T|date=8 October 2018}}, Business Insider

In 2019, Döpfner sat down with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to discuss the importance of quality journalism in fostering an informed society, the guiding principles that Facebook uses to prioritize reputable news, and implications of internet regulation and the future of social networking.{{Cite web |date=2019-04-01 |title=A Conversation with Mark Zuckerberg and Mathias Döpfner |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2019/04/marks-challenge-mathias-dopfner/ |access-date= |website=Meta |language=en-US}}

In 2021, Döpfner sat down with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger shortly before the latter's death to discuss the COVID pandemic’s impacts on global politics, China’s prominence as a world power, and implications for the future of the European Union.{{Cite web |title=Interviews |url=https://www.henryakissinger.com/interviews/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Henry A. Kissinger |language=en-US}}

In 2022, Döpfner visited Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California to interview with Elon Musk. The interview covered Russia’s Ukraine invasion, space travel, and implications of human existence.{{Cite web |last=Döpfner |first=Mathias |date=2022-03-27 |title=Elon Musk discusses the war in Ukraine and the importance of nuclear power — and why Benjamin Franklin would be 'the most fun at dinner' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-interview-axel-springer-tesla-war-in-ukraine-2022-3 |access-date= |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}

Döpfner praised US Vice President JD Vance's Munich Security Conference speech, where he called for an end to the political isolation of the European far right. Döpfner called the response by European leaders "whiny."{{Cite news |last=Rachman |first=Gideon |last2=Pitel |first2=Laura |date=2025-02-20 |title=Politico’s owner praises JD Vance for his ‘inspiring message’ in Munich |url=https://www.ft.com/content/cb1cc264-84b9-40da-a484-ff897cd386e4?sharetype=blocked |access-date=2025-04-17 |work=Financial Times}}

Döpfner regularly speaks out on media and socio-political, economic and cultural issues. Particular attention was given to his debate with Nobel laureate Günter Grass, documented by Der Spiegel (June 2006). Döpfner surprised with the confession: "I am a non-Jewish Zionist". Alongside the topics of threats from Islamic fundamentalism and the image of the United States in Germany, the discussion also focused on the achievements and the failings of the 1968 movement. Döpfner published his opinion on the threat from Islamism in his WELT essay "The West and the mocking laughter of Islamism".

In July 2009, ARD TV broadcast Döpfner's film "My friend George Weidenfeld". Döpfner sees the film portrait, in which he accompanies Lord Weidenfeld on his travels and at meetings and interviews prominent companions such as Daniel Barenboim, Helmut Kohl, Angela Merkel or Shimon Peres, as "a very subjective approach to a great European".

He has repeatedly commented on the subjects of freedom and digitization, particularly in the fall of 2010 as a visiting professor at the University of Cambridge. Under the title "Freedom and the Digital Revolution" Döpfner held three lectures, which addressed Germans' difficult relationship to freedom, the global erosion of freedom and its causes, and digitization as the fourth major cultural revolution and its impact on the freedom of press, privacy, and journalism{{cite web|url=http://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/1469/|title=Freedom and the Digital Revolution: the freedom trap – CRASSH|publisher=|accessdate=30 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906050225/http://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/1469/|archive-date=6 September 2016|url-status=dead}} as well as in his book "Die Freiheitsfalle – The freedom trap" published by Propyläen Verlag in 2011, in which he focuses on the West's growing tiredness of defending freedom. Taking three watershed events as examples – the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nine Eleven and the financial crisis – Döpfner analyzes the triumphs, threats, and excesses of liberal societies and argues that freedom needs to be fought for, defended and answered for daily, and that democratic societies have not been sufficiently resolute in this regard. They risked falling into the freedom trap and either losing freedom through inaction or betraying it by defending with the wrong means. Alongside the power of freedom in politics and business, Döpfner reflects upon the spirit of freedom in music, literature and painting on the basis of three central works by Richard Wagner, Thomas Mann and Gustave Courbet. The book closes with an analysis of the digital world, in which Döpfner emphasizes the ambivalence of the Internet as a platform critical of authority at the same time as being a monitoring tool controlled by authority.

Döpfner's contributions to media policy include keynotes, for example at the NOAH Conference Berlin 2015{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6QR4HIGBoo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/g6QR4HIGBoo |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Dr. Mathias Döpfner, Axel Springer – NOAH15 Berlin|last=NoahAdvisors|date=21 June 2015|publisher=|accessdate=30 June 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} or at the SPIEGEL Publishers Forum,{{cite web|url=http://meedia.de/2015/06/05/mathias-doepfner-viele-journalisten-klingen-heute-wie-anzeigenverkaeufer/|title=Mathias Döpfner: "Viele Journalisten klingen heute wie Anzeigenverkäufer"|date=5 June 2015|publisher=|accessdate=30 June 2016}} the focus of which were the establishment of paid online content and the differentiation between private and public media in digital channels.

For the occasion of the centenary of Axel Springer's birth in 2012, Döpfner gave his personal view of the founder in his New Year's speech. The "Ceremony" in May 2012 was a surprise in itself, as Döpfner converted the entire event into a tongue-in-cheek and entertaining revue without a single speech. He made his own debut as an actor, reciting a fictitious letter to the publisher wearing a hoodie jacket and jeans. The F.A.Z described the revue as an event, in which "pathos, flippancy, understatement and exaggeration, self-righteousness and self-irony were mixed together in a wondrous, sometimes uplifting way, a milestone in the history of the Springer Group."

In an open letter to the executive chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, he criticized the search engine company,{{cite news|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/mathias-doepfner-s-open-letter-to-eric-schmidt-12900860.html|title=An open letter to Eric Schmidt: Why we fear Google|first=Mathias|last=Döpfner|date=17 April 2014|publisher=|accessdate=30 June 2016|newspaper=FAZ.NET}} thus triggering a public debate.

In April 2016, Döpfner showed solidarity with German satirist Jan Böhmermann in an open letter. In his show "Neo Magazine Royale", Böhmermann had previously illustrated the difference between satire and insulting criticism with profane a poem about the Turkish President Erdoğan, which led to resentment in the Turkish government as well as a public prosecution in Germany. Erdogan subsequently applied for an injunction against Döpfner in May 2016 at a German Court. The request was rejected in the first and second instance.{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/erdogan-injunction-mathias-doepfner_us_5731e10be4b016f37896ea9d|title=Huffington Post|date=10 May 2016|publisher=|accessdate=6 July 2016|via=huffingtonpost.com}}

In November 2017, Döpfner condemned Kuwait Airlines for barring an Israeli passenger from a flight.[https://www.businessinsider.de/german-court-ruled-in-favor-of-airline-that-refused-israeli-passenger-2017-11?r=US&IR=T A German court ruled in favor of an airline that refused to fly an Israeli passenger — and there isn't enough outrage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008174946/https://www.businessinsider.de/german-court-ruled-in-favor-of-airline-that-refused-israeli-passenger-2017-11?r=US&IR=T |date=8 October 2018 }}, Business Insider

In February 2023, The Economist reported on Döpfner's plans to expand the Springer group's media presence in the United States.{{Cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/business/2023/02/23/axel-springer-is-going-all-in-on-america |title=Axel Springer is going all in on America |newspaper=The Economist |date=February 23, 2023|access-date=February 25, 2023 }}

In September 2023, Döpfner published The Trade Trap: How To Stop Doing Business With Dictators, which shares his perspective on reconstructing global trade, strengthening democracy and protecting individual freedoms.{{Cite book |last=Dopfner |first=Mathias |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Trade-Trap/Mathias-Dopfner/9781668016251 |title=The Trade Trap |date=2023-09-19 |isbn=978-1-6680-1625-1 |language=en}} In the book, he analyzes Western dependency on China and Russia and suggests an approach to free trade based on establishing a values-based alliance of democracies. Döpfner shares his encounters with individuals such as Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, George W. Bush, Angela Merkel, and Jack Ma.{{Cite web |date= |title=The Trade Trap: How to Stop Doing Business with Dictators by Mathias Dopfner |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781668016251 |access-date= |website=PW Publishers Weekly}}

During the compliance procedure involving Julian Reichelt, Döpfner sent a text message to a writer in March 2021,[https://www.spiegel.de/kultur/mathias-doepfner-analyse-seiner-texte-und-reden-a-2d9a76a6-5c25-4e9e-ab86-bfda4bb7b5d0 Mathias Döpfner – Verleger mit Fimmel – Eine Analyse] Spiegel, 21. October 2021 characterizing the Federal Republic of Germany as a "new, authoritarian GDR-State".[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/17/business/media/axel-springer-bild-julian-reichelt.html Ben Smith: At Axel Springer, Politico's New Owner, Allegations of Sex, Lies and a Secret Payment] 21. October 2021 This message, exposed by New York Times journalist Ben Smith, was interpreted as endorsing a right-wing conspiracy theory on COVID-19 restrictions. This incident led to discussions comparing the public perception of Axel Springer SE in the United States to that of Fox News in terms of political alignment.[https://www.zeit.de/2021/43/ben-smith-julian-reichelt-bild-zeitung-new-york-times-axel-springer-verlag/komplettansicht "Keinesfalls laut sagen", Der New York Times – Journalist Ben Smith über jene Recherchen, die den Bild – Chefredakteur den Job kosteten], ZEIT-online, 21. October 2021

Döpfner addressed Axel Springer employees in a private video, encouraging the reporting of power abuses and promoting open dialogue. He criticized The New York Times for publishing his private text, arguing it was taken out of context and not meant for public discourse.[https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/fall-julian-reichelt-mathias-doepfner-es-gibt-dieses.1939.de.html?drn:news_id=1313609 Mathias Döpfner: Es gibt dieses Kulturproblem bei „Bild“ nicht im ganzen Springer-Verlag] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021104351/https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/fall-julian-reichelt-mathias-doepfner-es-gibt-dieses.1939.de.html?drn:news_id=1313609 |date=21 October 2021 }} Deutschlandradio, 21. October 2021

In September 2022, the Washington Post disclosed an email from Döpfner to executive colleagues before the 2020 US presidential election, praising specific policies of President Donald Trump and expressing a desire for Trump's re-election.{{cite news|title="Politico's new German owner has a 'contrarian' plan for American media"|date=2022-09-06|author=Sarah Ellison|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/09/06/mathias-dopfner-trump-email-axel-springer-politico/|newspaper=The Washington Post|archive-url=https://archive.today/20220906161829/https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/09/06/mathias-dopfner-trump-email-axel-springer-politico/|archive-date=2022-09-06}} He described this email as an "ironic gesture" aimed at those critical of Trump, highlighting his concern about journalism's increasing polarization.

Die Zeit reported in April 2023 on leaked personal communications from Döpfner, revealing his positions{{Which|date=February 2025}} on various issues, including climate change, Zionism, COVID-19 measures, and political figures and movements within Germany.{{Cite news |last=Oltermann |first=Philip |date=2023-04-13 |title='I'm all for climate change': Axel Springer CEO faces heat over leaked messages |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/13/axel-springer-ceo-mathias-dopfner-leaked-messages-reported |access-date=2023-04-18}}{{cite news |date=2023-04-13 |title='Aber das ist dennoch die einzige Chance, um den endgültigen Niedergang des Landes zu vermeiden' |language=de |newspaper=Die Zeit |url=https://www.zeit.de/2023/16/mathias-doepfner-axel-springer-interne-dokumente}} Following the leaks, Döpfner publicly expressed regret for any offense his remarks may have caused, acknowledging the impact of his words on others.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-16 |title=Axel Springer boss under fire over slurs on 'East Germans' |url=https://www.dw.com/en/axel-springer-boss-under-fire-over-slurs-on-east-germans/a-65338414 |access-date= |website=DW |language=en}}{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/7a6384a0-7973-411d-ab03-35adf177afdc |title=The sun rises in the east for Germany's far right |author=Tony Barber |date=2023-01-01 |publisher=Financial Times }}

In 2010, Döpfner was visiting professor in media at the University of Cambridge and became a member of St John's College. In addition, he holds a variety of paid and unpaid positions.

• eMarketer, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2016)
• Insider Inc., Member of the Board of Directors
• Netflix, Inc., Member of the Board of Directors (since 2018)Todd Spangler (18 September 2018), [https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/netflix-adds-axel-springer-ceo-mathias-dopfner-to-board-1202946618/ Netflix Adds Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner to Board] Variety.
• Ringier Axel Springer Schweiz, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2016)
• Warner Music, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2014)[https://investors.wmg.com/corporate-governance/board-of-directors Warner Music]

• American Academy in Berlin, Member of the Board of Trustees[http://www.americanacademy.de/about/board-of-trustees/ Board of Trustees] American Academy in Berlin
• Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft of Deutsche Bank, Member of the Board of Trustees[https://www.alfred-herrhausen-gesellschaft.de/en/kuratorium.htm Board of Trustees] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820074542/https://www.alfred-herrhausen-gesellschaft.de/en/kuratorium.htm |date=20 August 2018 }} Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft of Deutsche Bank.
• Axel Springer Prize, Chairman of the Board of Trustees[https://www.axel-springer-preis.de/kuratorium/ Board of Trustees] Axel Springer Prize.
• Friends of the Academy of the Arts, Member[https://www.adk.de/freundeskreis/verein/mitglieder.htm Members] Friends of the Academy of the Arts.
• Bilderberg Meetings, Member of Steering Committeehttps://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/background/steering-committee/steering-committee Bilderberg Meetings.
• European Publishers Council, Member
• {{ill|Federation of German Newspaper Publishers|de|Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger}} (BDZV), President (since 2016)[https://www.bdzv.de/der-bdzv/gremien/praesidium/ Presidium] Federation of German Newspaper Publishers (BDZV).
• Frank Schirrmacher Foundation, Member of the Board[http://schirrmacher-stiftung.de/schirrmacher-stiftung/ Board] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115115505/http://schirrmacher-stiftung.de/schirrmacher-stiftung/ |date=15 November 2019 }} Frank Schirrmacher Foundation.
• Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, Member of the International Advisory Board (since 2010)[https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/people?field_person_type_target_id=518 International Advisory Board] Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
• International Journalists’ Programmes (IJP), Member of the Board of Trustees[http://www.ijp.org/en/organisation/deutsches-kuratorium/ Board of Trustees (2019–2022)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003175637/http://www.ijp.org/en/organisation/deutsches-kuratorium/ |date=3 October 2016 }} International Journalists’ Programmes (IJP).
• Museum Berggruen, Member of the International Council[http://www.icmuseumberggruen.de/en/international-council/members International Council] Museum Berggruen.
• Friends of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg, Member[https://www.freunde-psg.de/gremien Members] Friends of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg.
• Robert Koch Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees[http://www.robert-koch-stiftung.de/index.php?article_id=13&clang=1 Board of Trustees] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228134137/https://www.robert-koch-stiftung.de/index.php?article_id=13&clang=1 |date=28 December 2021 }} Robert Koch Foundation.

Döpfner is married to Ulrike Weiss, who is the daughter of Ulrich Weiss, a former executive of Deutsche Bank AG. The couple has three sons, with one of them serving as chief of staff to entrepreneur Peter Thiel.{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/09/06/mathias-dopfner-trump-email-axel-springer-politico/| title=Politico's new German owner has a 'contrarian' plan for American media | newspaper=The Washington Post }} In 2016, Döpfner also had a child with billionaire art collector Julia Stoschek.{{cite web | url=https://www.manager-magazin.de/lifestyle/die-entzauberung-a-2cb5c9e1-0002-0001-0000-000143671112 | title=(m+) die Entzauberung | date=17 March 2016 }}

In addition to his professional endeavors, Döpfner is an art collector, particularly known for his comprehensive collection of female nude paintings spanning over 500 years.{{Cite news |last=Slater |first=Joanna |date=2015-08-14 |title=Axel Springer CEO Mathias Doepfner steps boldly into the future of media |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/careers-leadership/axel-springer-ceo-mathias-doepfner-steps-boldly-into-the-future-of-media/article25973668/ |access-date= |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-10-18 |title=Denver Art Museum to Return Antiquities to Cambodia, Vienna's Art Goes on OnlyFans, and More: Morning Links for October 18, 2021 |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/denver-art-museum-cambodia-vienna-only-fans-morning-links-1234607358/ |access-date= |website=ARTnews |language=en-US}} Furthermore, he is a co-owner of Villa Schoningen, in Potsdam, where he organized the exhibition “Andy Warhol—Early Works” in collaboration with the Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e.V. Bonn.{{Cite web |last= |title=The Villa Schoningen Presents a Selection of Early Works by Andy Warhol |url=https://artdaily.cc/news/47050/The-Villa-Schoningen-Presents-a-Selection-of-Early-Works-by-Andy-Warhol |access-date= |website=artdaily |language=English}}

• 2023 Order of Merit of the Italian Republic{{Cite web |title=L'Ambasciatore Varricchio consegna al CEO del Gruppo Axel Springer, Mathias Doepfner, l'onorificenza di Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (11.12.2023) – Ambasciata d'Italia Berlino |url=https://ambberlino.esteri.it/it/news/dall_ambasciata/2023/12/lambasciatore-varricchio-consegna-al-ceo-del-gruppo-axel-springer-mathias-doepfner-lonorificenza-di-commendatore-dellordine-al-merito-della-repubblica-italiana-11-12-2023/ |access-date= |website=ambberlino.esteri.it}}
• 2019 Leo Baeck Prize of the Central Council of Jews in Germany{{cite web|url=https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/non-jewish-journalist-wins-prize-from-german-jews-for-defending-israel/|title=Non-Jewish journalist wins prize from German Jews for defending Israel|date=18 May 2019 |publisher=Times of Israel|accessdate=6 November 2020}}
• 2019 Janusz Korczak Prize for Humanism{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/german-journalist-to-be-awarded-prize-for-combating-antisemitism-607047|title=German journalist to be awarded prize for combating antisemitism|date=6 November 2019 |publisher=Jerusalem Post|accessdate=6 November 2020}}
• 2016 Arno Lustiger Prize{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/world/article/israel_german_congress_aims_to_ensure_support_for_jewish_state|title=Jewish Journal|date=22 June 2016|publisher=|accessdate=6 July 2016}}
• 2015 McCloy Award of the American Council on Germany
• 2014 Anti-Defamation League (ADL) International Leadership Award, New York City
• 2014 Shepard Stone-Award, Aspen Berlin
• 2014 Europe Award of Merit des U.O.B.B.
• 2013 European Manager of the Year, European Business Press Association
• 2012 Kress Head of the Year
• 2012 Strategist of the Year, Financial Times Germany
• 2011 German Media Award: Media Person of the Year
• 2010 Humanitas Visiting Professor in Media 2010 at the University of Cambridge; Member of St. John's College, Cambridge{{cite web|url=http://talks.cam.ac.uk/talk/index/26855|title=talks.cam: The Transformation of the Media Business|publisher=|accessdate=30 June 2016}}
• 2008 Leadership Award, Global American Institute for Contemporary German Studies New York{{cite web|url=http://www.aicgs.org|title=AICGS Providing Knowledge, Insights, and Networks for the Future|publisher=|accessdate=30 June 2016}}
• 2008 Jerusalem Prize of the Zionist Organization in Germany{{cite web|url=https://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/politik/article102662158/Jerusalem-Preis-2008-an-Mathias-Doepfner.html|title=Jerusalem-Preis 2008 an Mathias Döpfner|date=11 April 2008|publisher=Hamburger Morgenpost|accessdate=6 November 2020}}
• 2007 Leo Baeck Medal of the Leo Baeck Institute New York{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y0gsAQAAIAAJ&q=mathias+baeck+medal|title=LBI News|year=2004|publisher=Leo Baeck Institute.}}
• 2007 1st place in Kress report in the category: "Top 50 media heads – the most important managers from media and communication"{{cite web|url=https://kress.de/news/detail/beitrag/86781-top-50-medienkoepfe-2007-mathias-doepfner-gewinnt-kress-leserwahl.html|title=Top 50 Medienköpfe 2007 Mathias Döpfner gewinnt kress-Leserwahl|publisher=kress.de|accessdate=6 November 2020}}
• 2007 Honorary Order of Merit of Berlin
• 2000 Appointed Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum
• 1991 Axel-Springer-Preis for Young Journalists{{cite web|url=http://www.axel-springer-akademie.de/axel-springer-preis.html|title=Axel-Springer-Preis – Axel Springer Akademie|publisher=|accessdate=30 June 2016|archive-date=22 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522015805/http://www.axel-springer-akademie.de/axel-springer-preis.html|url-status=dead}}

• Mathias Dopfner, The Trade Trap: How To Stop Doing Business With Dictators, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023, ISBN 978-1-6680-1625-1
• Mathias O. C. Döpfner, Thomas Garms: Neue Deutsche Welle. Kunst oder Mode? Frankfurt am Main; Berlin; Wien: Ullstein, 1984, {{ISBN|3-548-36505-1}} (Ullstein-Buch, 36505; Populäre Kultur)
• Mathias O. C. Döpfner, Thomas Garms: Erotik in der Musik. Frankfurt/Main; Berlin: Ullstein, 1986, {{ISBN|3-548-36517-5}} (Ullstein-Buch, 36517; Populäre Kultur)
• Mathias O. C. Döpfner: Musikkritik in Deutschland nach 1945. Inhaltliche und formale Tendenzen; eine kritische Analyse. At the same time: Dissertation, Universität Frankfurt (Main), 1990. Frankfurt am Main; Bern; New York; Paris: Lang, 1991, {{ISBN|3-631-43158-9}} (Europäische Hochschulschriften, Reihe 36, Musikwissenschaft vol. 59)
• Brüssel. Das Insider-Lexikon. München: Beck, 1993, {{ISBN|3-406-37397-6}} (Beck'sche Reihe; 1007)
• Axel Springer. Neue Blicke auf den Verleger; eine Edition aktueller Autorenbeiträge und eigener Texte. Editor: Mathias Döpfner. Hamburg: Springer, 2005, {{ISBN|3-9809879-9-X}}
• Reform statt Subvention – Warum wir verlässliche gesetzliche Maßstäbe für Fusionsvorhaben und Schutz kreativer Leistungen brauchen, in: Krautscheid/Schwartmann (editors), Fesseln für die Vielfalt? Das Medienkonzentrationsrecht auf dem Prüfstand, C.F Müller Verlag, Heidelberg 2010
• Die Verlage sind im digitalen Zeitalter stärker, als sie selbst denken. In: Hubert Burda, Mathias Döpfner, Bodo Hombach, Jürgen Rüttgers (editors): 2020 – Gedanken zur Zukunft des Internets. Klartext, Essen, 2010, S. 177–182. {{ISBN|978-3-8375-0376-0}}.
• How German is it? print of the speech at Thomas Demand's exhibition „Nationalgalerie“, Suhrkamp 2010
• Die Freiheitsfalle – Ein Bericht. Berlin: Propyläen, 2011, 256 pages, {{ISBN|978-3-5490-7372-8}}
• Anselm Kiefer/Mathias Döpfner, Kunst und Leben, Mythen und Tod. Ein Streitgespräch, Quadriga Verlag, 2012
• Leser- und Kundenorientierung in einer digitalisierten Medienwelt – Eine Zwischenbilanz, in: Stadler/Brenner/Hermann (editors), Erfolg im digitalen Zeitalter, Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch Verlag, 2012
• Essay [https://www.welt.de/debatte/kommentare/article137425025/Laughter-is-anti-authoritarian-laughter-is-freedom.html „Laughter is anti-authoritarian, laughter is freedom“], 12 January 2015
• Die Welt gehört denen, die neu denken. In: Kardinaltugenden effektiver Führung. Drucker, Peter F. (editor), München: Redline Verlag, 2014. {{ISBN|978-3-86881-396-8}}
• „Berlin ist das Herz Europas, ich kenne kein anderes.“: Axel Springer und seine Stadt. Berlin: Edition Braus. {{ISBN|978-3-86228-135-0}}.
• Abschied vom Pessimismus. In: Die Idee des Mediums – Reden zur Zukunft des Journalismus / Bernhard Pörksen; Andreas Narr (editor), von Halem 2015. {{ISBN|978-3-86962-146-3}}

{{Reflist}}

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100410191658/http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/6876 Mathias Döpfner on the Charlie Rose Show]

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