Reinhard Mohn

Born in 1921 as the fifth child of Agnes Mohn (née Seippel) and {{Interlanguage link|Heinrich Mohn|lt=|de||WD=}},{{citation|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Ein Leben für den Konzern|date=5 October 2009|language=German}} Reinhard represented the fifth generation of the shareholding families of Bertelsmann.{{citation|title=Bertelsmann trauert um Reinhard Mohn|publisher=Bertelsmann|url=https://www.bertelsmann.de/news-und-media/nachrichten/bertelsmann-trauert-um-reinhard-mohn.jsp|accessdate=1 May 2018|date=4 October 2009|language=German}} In 1887, his grandfather, {{Interlanguage link|Johannes Mohn|lt=|de||WD=}}, had taken over the management of the printing and publishing house from his father-in-law, {{Interlanguage link|Heinrich Bertelsmann|lt=|de||WD=}}, son of Carl Bertelsmann.{{citation|surname1=Stefan Beig|periodical=Wiener Zeitung|title=Eine imposante Familiensaga|at=p. 18|date=1 July 2010|language=German}}{{citation|title=Bertelsmann: Medienmonarchie aus Gütersloh|periodical=Handelsblatt|url=http://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/it-medien/bertelsmann-medienmonarchie-aus-guetersloh/3818956.html|accessdate=1 May 2018|date=30 January 2011}}

Raised in a strict Protestant family, Mohn earned his German baccalaureate (Abitur) at the Evangelisch Stiftische Gymnasium Gütersloh in 1939 and went on to complete his Reichsarbeitsdienst, the official labor service of the Third Reich.{{citation|surname1=Stefan Brams|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Immer bereit, zu lernen: Reinhard Mohn erinnert sich an seine Jugend|date=29 September 2008|language=German

}}{{citation|surname1=Reinhard Mohn|title=Von der Welt lernen: Erfolg durch Menschlichkeit und Freiheit|publisher=C. Bertelsmann Verlag|publication-place=München|at=pp. 24 ff.|isbn=978-3-641-01268-7|date=2009|language=German}} Afterwards, he volunteered for military service with the Luftwaffe, originally with the aim of becoming a pilot. After serving in an air-base command on the Western Front, Mohn was stationed with an anti-aircraft unit, advancing in rank from private to sergeant, and in 1942 achieving the rank of lieutenant.{{citation|surname1=Norbert Frei, Saul Friedländer, Trutz Rendtorff, Reinhard Wittmann|title=Bertelsmann im Dritten Reich|publisher=C. Bertelsmann Verlag|publication-place=München|at=p. 456|isbn=3-570-00713-8|date=2002|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Adolf Theobald|periodical=Der Spiegel|title=Nachruf: Reinhard Mohn|at=p. 164|date=12 October 2009|language=German|url=https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-67282884.html|access-date=15 July 2019

}} From France, via Italy, his regiment was moved to Tunisia.{{citation|surname1=Andrea Stoll|periodical=Welt Am Sonntag|title=Ich bin im Alleinsein geübt|at=p. 14|date=28 September 2008|language=German}} On 5 May 1943, Mohn became a U.S. prisoner of war, and in mid-June, he was taken across the Atlantic to Camp Concordia, an internment center in Kansas for German prisoners of war.{{citation|surname1=Lowell A. May|title=Camp Concordia: German POWs in the Midwest|publisher=Sunflower University Press|publication-place=Manhattan|at=p. 126|isbn=0-89745-192-9|date=1995|language=German}} According to Mohn's accounts, he was profoundly influenced by this experience;{{citation|surname1=Reinhard Mohn|title=Von der Welt lernen: Erfolg durch Menschlichkeit und Freiheit|publisher=C. Bertelsmann Verlag|publication-place=München|at=pp. 33 ff.|isbn=978-3-641-01268-7|date=2009|language=German}} as one example, he began reading American management literature for the first time.{{citation|surname1=Stephan Rechlin|periodical=Westfalen-Blatt|title=Er ist und bleibt präsent|date=29 June 2011|language=German}}

In January 1946, Reinhard Mohn returned to Gütersloh. His oldest brother, Hans Heinrich Mohn, had died in 1939, and Sigbert Mohn, his second-oldest brother, was still a prisoner of war. Reinhard initially took an apprenticeship as a bookseller, and later joined his father's business.{{citation|title=Der Pionier aus Gütersloh|periodical=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/unternehmen/zum-tode-von-reinhard-mohn-der-pionier-aus-guetersloh-1869150.html|accessdate=1 May 2018|last=Johannes Ritter|date=10 April 2009}} His father, Heinrich Mohn, had come under the scrutiny of British occupation authorities because he was a supporting member of the SS, because he had donated to other Nazi organizations, and for other reasons.{{citation|title=Bertelsmann: Das schwere Erbe der Mohns|periodical=Cicero|url=https://www.cicero.de/wirtschaft/das-schwere-erbe-der-mohns/37477|accessdate=18 September 2018|language=German}} In April 1947, Heinrich Mohn transferred his publishing license to his son Reinhard, who managed the publishing business from then on.{{citation|surname1=Norbert Frei, Saul Friedländer, Trutz Rendtorff, Reinhard Wittmann|title=Bertelsmann im Dritten Reich|publisher=Bertelsmann|publication-place=München|at=p. 347|isbn=3-570-00711-1|date=2002|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Jan Fleischhauer|periodical=Der Spiegel|title=Konzerne: Sieg oder Sibirien|date=26 July 1999|language=German|url=https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-14010786.html}}

In 1948, Mohn married Magdalene Raßfeld, whom he knew from his school days.{{citation|surname1=Ludger Osterkamp|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Jubilarin hegt keinen Groll|date=20 April 2013|language=German}} The couple had three children: Johannes, Susanne and Christiane;{{citation|surname1=Steffen Grimberg|periodical=Die Tageszeitung|title=Klatsch und Mohn|at=p. 19|date=22 March 2004|language=German}} they divorced in 1982.{{citation|surname1=Matthias Benirschke|periodical=Westdeutsche Zeitung|title=Die starke Frau bei Bertelsmann|date=21 June 2011|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Magdalene Mohn, Minna Wagner|periodical=Bunte|title=Die Schattenfrau|at=p. 58|date=15 April 2004|language=German}} Later that year, Mohn married Elisabeth Scholz,{{citation|surname1=Günther Bähr, Tatjana Meier|periodical=Focus|title=Bertelsmann: Szenen einer Ehe|at=p. 188|date=8 December 2003|language=German}} with whom he had had an affair since the 1950s and fathered three children in the 1960s.{{citation|surname1=Matthew Karnitschnig|periodical=Der Tagesspiegel|title=Die komplizierte Romanze der Liz Mohn|at=p. 16|date=12 August 2003|language=German}} After the wedding, Mohn adopted their three mutual children: Brigitte, Christoph and Andreas.{{citation|title=Das schwere Erbe der Mohns|periodical=Cicero|url=https://www.cicero.de/wirtschaft/das-schwere-erbe-der-mohns/37477|accessdate=1 May 2018|language=German}}

In 1947, Mohn took over the management of the C. Bertelsmann publishing company, which had been largely destroyed by bombing raids during World War II.{{citation|surname1=Dieter Schröder|periodical=Berliner Zeitung|title=Der stille Eiferer|at=p. 27|date=29 June 2001|language=German}} In 1950, he established the {{Interlanguage link|Bertelsmann Lesering|lt=|de||WD=}} book club, which formed the basis for the fast growth of the company in the decades that followed.{{citation|periodical=Frankfurter Neue Presse|title=Der Club wurde zum Konzern|at=p. 5|date=30 July 2002|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=George Weidenfeld|periodical=B.Z.|title=Der Mann, der Deutschland zum Lese-Club machte|at=p. 28|date=5 October 2009|language=German}} From the beginning, he closely involved employees, e.g. through the loan participation program introduced in 1951.{{citation|surname1=Uwe Jean Heuser|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Neues vom roten Mohn|issue=11|date=2003|language=German|url=https://www.zeit.de/2003/11/Mohn_2fBertelsmann/komplettansicht|access-date=24 September 2018}} In 1969, he launched an employee profit-sharing model, viewed as exemplary throughout Germany.{{citation|periodical=Der Standard|title=Reinhard Mohn (1921–2009)|at=p. 10|date=5 October 2009|language=German

}}{{citation|surname1=Beate Flemming|periodical=Stern|title=Der soziale Kapitalist|issue=42|date=2009|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Uwe Jean Heuser|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Der Tycoon aus der Provinz|issue=42|at=p. 36|date=2009|language=German

}} As a businessman, Mohn was consistent in his efforts to grow the traditional publishing business into a media conglomerate: Thus, he entered music and film production, invested in the magazine business, and promoted international expansion.{{citation|surname1=Steffen Grimberg|periodical=Die Tageszeitung|title=Abschied von einem Scheinlinken|at=p. 13|date=5 October 2009|language=German|url=http://www.taz.de/!569297/|access-date=1 May 2018}} A merger of Bertelsmann with the Axel Springer group planned in the years 1969/70 did not come to fruition.{{citation|periodical=Der Spiegel|title=Freundlicher Moloch|issue=11|date=1970|language=German|url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-45439917.html|access-date=1 May 2018}}

In 1971, Mohn transformed the family company into a joint stock corporation.{{citation|periodical=Börsen-Zeitung|title=Personen: Reinhard Mohn|at=p. 13|date=6 October 2009|language=German}} In this way, he created another structural prerequisite for Bertelsmann's rise to one of the world's leading media groups. Mohn became chairman of the executive board, and in this position continued a corporate culture based on partnership,{{citation|surname1=Matthias Benz|periodical=Neue Zürcher Zeitung|title=Bertelsmann-Patriarch Reinhard Mohn gestorben|at=p. 16|date=5 October 2009|language=German}} the essential component of which involves dialogue between management and employees. In 1976, he had a new corporate headquarters built, where Bertelsmann's home offices are still located today.{{citation|title=Gütersloher Zentrale in neuem Gebäude|periodical=Bertelsmann Chronik|url=http://history.bertelsmann.com/de/milestones/view/52|accessdate=1 May 2018}} During this time, Mohn also began an entry into the U.S. publishing business, of vital importance to Bertelsmann.{{citation|periodical=Allgemeine Zeitung|title=Start mit christlichen Liedern und Gesängen: Der Weg des Bertelsmann-Konzerns in die erste Liga der Medienunternehmen|date=30 July 2002|language=German}} The acquisition of Bantam Books (1977/1980) and Doubleday (1986) created the largest trade-book publishing group in the United States, at the time.{{citation|periodical=Westfalen-Blatt|title=Bertelsmann wird heute 175 Jahre alt (1980–1990)|date=1 July 2010|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Gunhild Freese|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Aufstieg zum Bestseller: Bertelsmann avanciert in den USA zum größten Buchverlag|issue=14|date=1998|language=German|url=https://www.zeit.de/1998/14/Aufstieg_zum_Bestseller|access-date=5 November 2018}}

In 1981, Mohn moved from the executive board to the supervisory board, which he chaired for another ten years,{{citation|surname1=Heinz-Günter Kemmer|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Rückzug an die Spitze|issue=8|date=1981|language=German|url=https://www.zeit.de/1981/08/rueckzug-an-die-spitze|access-date=1 May 2018}}{{citation|surname1=Norbert Wehrstedt|periodical=Leipziger- Volkszeitung|title=Reinhard Mohn: Unternehmer mit Ideen|at=p. 15|date=5 October 2009|language=German}} still remaining involved in business operations.{{citation|periodical=Der Spiegel|title=Im Zweifel selbst|issue=48|date=1982|language=German|url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-14355929.html|access-date=1 May 2018}} At 70, he finally stepped down from his duties, and remained honorary chairman of the supervisory board.{{citation|surname1=Rudolf Knappe|periodical=Darmstädter Echo|title=Firmenkultur als Vermächtnis|date=6 October 2009|language=German}} From then on, he dedicated his efforts primarily to the Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation. In 1999, Mohn transferred his sole control over the voting rights of roughly 90% of Bertelsmann shares to the Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft,{{citation|periodical=Der Tagesspiegel|title=Reinhard Mohn regelt Besitzverhältnisse neu|at=p. 19|date=2 July 1999|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Dieter Buhl|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Geld ist ein Instrument|issue=28|date=1999|language=German|url=https://www.zeit.de/1999/28/199928.portraet_mohn_.xml|access-date=24 September 2018}} a move designed to ensure the continuity of his company.{{citation|periodical=Die Tageszeitung|title=Bertelsmann soll nur Bertelsmann gehören|at=p. 14|date=23 July 1999|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Ingrid Scheithauer|periodical=Frankfurter Rundschau|title=Konsens statt Streitkultur. Reinhard Mohn will für Bertelsmann Kontinuität.|at=p. 11|date=2 July 1999|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Uwe Jean Heuser|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Die Familie kann nichts durchsetzen|issue=32|date=2003|language=German|url=https://www.zeit.de/2003/32/Interview_RMohn|access-date=1 May 2018}}

In 1977, Mohn established the non-profit Bertelsmann Stiftung,{{citation|title=40 Jahre Bertelsmann Stiftung: Lob von Gauck|periodical=Die Welt|url=https://www.welt.de/regionales/nrw/article164209753/Lob-von-Gauck.html|accessdate=25 September 2018|date=3 May 2017}} initially endowed with capital of 100,000 Deutsche Mark.{{citation|surname1=Bernhard Hänel|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Mohns Denkfabrik|date=5 October 2009|language=German}} Mohn supported the management-driven concept of an operating foundation, independently developing and managing projects.{{citation|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Ein Anstifter des Guten|date=16 September 2004|language=German}} He directed the Bertelsmann Stiftung to help fund the improvement of the {{Interlanguage link|Stadtbibliothek Gütersloh|lt=Gütersloh City Library|de||WD=}} and established the Carl Bertelsmann Prize (today the Reinhard Mohn Prize).{{citation|periodical=Westfalen-Blatt|title=Bertelsmann fördert Bibliothek|date=9 May 2014|language=German}}{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Carl Bertelsmann-Preis|at=p. 5|date=18 April 1988|language=German}}

In the 1980s, the Bertelsmann Stiftung became the key focus of Mohn's corporate citizenship activities.{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Personalien: Reinhard Mohn|at=p. 24|date=27 June 1986|language=German}} In 1993, the majority of shareholdings in Bertelsmann was transferred to the foundation,{{citation|surname1=Rainer Hank|periodical=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|title=Warum einer ein Milliardenvermögen weggibt|at=p. 13|date=27 November 1993|language=German}} making the Bertelsmann Stiftung the largest shareholder in the group.{{citation|periodical=Deutscher Drucker|title=Bertelsmann gehört jetzt mehrheitlich der Stiftung|at=p. 4|date=14 October 1993|language=German}} Capital shares and voting rights were strictly separated in the gift agreement, so that neither the foundation nor the group can exert any significant controlling influence over the other.

Mohn massively increased the Bertelsmann Stiftung's budget in the 1990s.{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Bertelsmann Stiftung: Mohn kündigt deutliche Etataufstockung für 1993/94 an.|at=p. 10|date=28 May 1993|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Sabine Etzold|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Die Lotsen aus Gütersloh|issue=19|date=1997|language=German|url=https://www.zeit.de/1997/19/Die_Lotsen_aus_Guetersloh|access-date=1 May 2018

}} In addition to projects in Germany, he supported projects in Spain, such as the Fundació Biblioteca d'Alcúdia Can Torró on Mallorca. In 1995, he founded the {{Interlanguage link|Fundación Bertelsmann|lt=|es||WD=}}, now based in Barcelona and Madrid, as an independent subsidiary foundation{{citation|surname1=Liz Mohn|title=Schlüsselmomente: Erfahrungen eines engagierten Lebens|publisher=C. Bertelsmann Verlag|publication-place=München|at=p. 40|isbn=978-3-641-07123-3|date=2011|language=German}} that works to promote dual training to reduce youth unemployment.{{citation|surname1=Stefan Schelp|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Jungen Menschen Perspektive geben|at=p. 30|date=17 November 2015|language=German|url=https://www.nw.de/nachrichten/wirtschaft/20627393_Jungen-Menschen-Perspektive-geben.html|access-date=14 June 2019

}} Founded in 2008, the Bertelsmann Foundation North America, headquartered in Washington, D.C., deals with transatlantic cooperation, among other issues.{{citation|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Die Stiftung zieht's nach Washington|date=16 April 2008|language=German}}

In the early years, the founder was the sole Executive Board member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung. In 1979, a managing director was hired; from 1983, Mohn was supported by an Advisory Board, and in 1993, the Executive Board was also expanded.{{citation|title=Chronik|publisher=Bertelsmann Stiftung|url=https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/de/ueber-uns/wer-wir-sind/chronik/|accessdate=1 October 2016|language=German}} After 1998, Mohn withdrew from executive management: Initially, he stepped down from his position as Chairman of the Executive Board, and a year later also withdrew as the Chairman of the Advisory Board.{{citation|surname1=Thomas Hoffmann|periodical=Horizont|title=Der Leitwolf verlässt das Rudel|at=p. 14|date=24 September 1998|language=German}} As a result of several structural and personnel changes, Mohn held the interim chairmanship of both Bertelsmann Stiftung executive bodies again from the end of 2000 until mid-2001, when he was succeeded by Gunter Thielen as Chairman of the Executive Board.{{citation|periodical=Berliner Zeitung|title=Der Patriarch zieht sich zurück|at=p. 18|date=5 August 2001|language=German}}{{citation|periodical=Frankfurter Rundschau|title=Bertelsmann Stiftung: Reinhard Mohn seine Ämter vorzeitig ab|at=p. 22|date=25 August 2001|language=German}}{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Mohn gibt Leitung der Bertelsmann Stiftung ab|at=p. 11|date=27 August 2001|language=German}} In 2004, he permanently stepped down from the Executive Board of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, but as the founder, according to the statutes, he remained a member of the Board of Trustees until he died in 2009.{{citation|surname1=Ralph Kotsch|periodical=Berliner Zeitung|title=Reinhard Mohn zieht sich zurück / Neuordnung der Bertelsmann-Stiftung|at=p. 26|date=20 July 2004|language=German}}

• 1981: Honorary Citizen of the City of Gütersloh{{citation|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Ehrenbürger der Stadt Gütersloh|date=30 August 2008|language=German}}
• 1987: Friend of the City of Jerusalem, awarded at the Jerusalem Book Fair{{citation|periodical=Westfalen-Blatt|title=Israels Buchmesse würdigt Dohle|date=17 February 2015|language=German}}
• 1992: Induction into the symbolic Hall of Fame of Manager Magazine{{citation|title=Hall of Fame|periodical=Manager Magazin|url=http://www.manager-magazin.de/thema/business_hall_of_fame/archiv.html|accessdate=1 May 2018|date=12 August 2008|language=German}}
• 1994: Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 1996: Europäischer Stifterpreis (a {{Interlanguage link|Europäischer Kulturpreis|lt=European Culture Award|de||WD=}}){{citation|title=Reinhard Mohn|publisher=Bertelsmann Stiftung|url=https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/fileadmin/files/BSt/Presse/imported/downloads/xcms_bst_dms_17389__2.pdf|accessdate=1 May 2018|language=German|pages=2}}
• 1996: Honorary Member of the Club of Rome{{citation|periodical=Frankfurter Rundschau|title=Reinhard Mohn im Club of Rome|at=p. 6|date=30 April 1996|language=German}}
• 1997: Schumpeter Prize{{citation|surname1=Christoph Pridun|periodical=WirtschaftsBlatt|title=Menschen in Bewegung|at=p. 6|date=19 April 1997|language=German}}
• 1998: Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 1998: Prince of Asturias Award
• 1998: Gold Medal of the {{Interlanguage link|Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen|lt=Association of German Foundations|de||WD=}}{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Namen: Reinhard Mohn|at=p. 15|date=9 March 1998|language=German}}
• 1998: Integration Award of the foundation Apfelbaum Stiftung{{citation|title=Integrationspreis|publisher=Stiftung Apfelbaum|url=http://www.stiftung-apfelbaum.de/integrationspreis.html|accessdate=1 May 2018|language=German}}
• 1998: Hanns Martin Schleyer Prize
• 1999: State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia{{citation|periodical=Wiesbadener Kurier|title=Staatspreis für Mohn und Treckel|date=24 December 1999|language=German}}{{citation|periodical=Bonner General-Anzeiger|title=Clement verleiht NRW-Staatspreis|at=p. 5|date=27 March 1999|language=German}}
• 1999: Spanish Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit{{citation|periodical=Welt Am Sonntag|title=Deutsche Personalien: Reinhard Mohn|at=p. 13|date=30 May 1999|language=German}}
• 2000: {{Interlanguage link|Bernhard-Harms-Medaille|lt=Bernhard Harms Medal|de||WD=}}{{citation|periodical=Frankfurter Rundschau|title=Ehrung für Reinhard Mohn|at=p. 8|date=8 May 2000|language=German}}
• 2000: {{Interlanguage link|Jakob Fugger-Medaille|lt=Jakob Fugger Medal|de||WD=}}{{citation|periodical=Bonner General-Anzeiger|title=Personalien: Reinhard Mohn|at=p. 27|date=6 April 2000|language=German}}
• 2001: Honorary Doctorate from the University of Münster{{citation|periodical=Die Tageszeitung|title=Ehrendoktor für Mohn|at=p. 7|date=10 April 2001|language=German}}
• 2002: Future Prize of the CDU Social Committees{{citation|periodical=Rhein-Zeitung|title=Merkel mahnt CDA-Preis an Mohn|date=13 June 2002|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Kai Pfundt|periodical=Bonner General-Anzeiger|title=Soziale Partnerschaft beispielhaft vorgelebt|at=p. 4|date=13 June 2002|language=German}}
• 2003: Teddy Kollek Award of the {{Interlanguage link|הקרן לירושלים|lt=Jerusalem Foundation|he||WD=}}{{citation|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Kollek-Preis für die Mohns|date=29 October 2003|language=German}}
• 2005: Honorary Citizen of the City of Alcúdia, Mallorca{{citation|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Mallorca zeichnet Reinhard Mohn aus|date=26 September 2005|language=German}}
• 2007: {{Interlanguage link|Deutscher Gründerpreis|lt=German Entrepreneur Award|de||WD=}} for his lifetime achievement{{citation|periodical=Stern|title=Grüne Ideen für gute Geschäfte|issue=26|date=2007|language=German}}
• 2010 (postmortem): Gold Medal of the Balearic Islands{{citation|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Die Balearen sagen Dankeschön|date=2 March 2010|language=German}}

From the late 1980s on, Reinhard Mohn was also involved in journalistic activities as an essayist and nonfiction book author.{{citation|title=Reinhard Mohn|publisher=Verlag Bertelsmann Stiftung|publication-place=Gütersloh|isbn=978-3-86793-061-1|date=2009|language=German

}} He wrote several books and magazine articles in which he dealt with topics concerning society and business.{{citation|surname1=Stefan Brams|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Immer bereit zu lernen: Reinhard Mohn publizierte vier Bücher und zahlreiche Broschüren|date=14 October 2009|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Ingrid Scheithauer|periodical=Frankfurter Rundschau|title=Der Sozial-Oberingenieur|at=p. 21|date=29 June 2001|language=German}} In 1985, he published an essay on "Vanity in the Life of the Executive", in which he decried the archetype of a self-centered managerial class.{{citation|surname1=Reinhard Mohn|title=Die Eitelkeit im Leben des Managers|publisher=Verlag Bertelsmann Stiftung|publication-place=Gütersloh|id=964063786|date=2002|language=German|url=https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/fileadmin/files/BSt/Publikationen/GrauePublikationen/GP_Eitelkeit_Leben_Manager_RMohn.pdf|access-date=25 September 2018}} With his statements on this topic, Mohn's perspectives repeatedly drew controversy.{{citation|surname1=Thomas Wels|periodical=Rheinische Post|title=Mohns Abrechnung im Namen der Menschlichkeit|date=10 February 2003|language=German}} In 1986, with the worldwide publication of his book "Success through Partnership", he laid out the principles of corporate culture at Bertelsmann.{{citation|surname1=Reinhard Mohn|title=Erfolg durch Partnerschaft: Eine Unternehmensstrategie für den Menschen|publisher=Siedler Verlag|publication-place=Berlin|isbn=3-88680-253-1|date=1986|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Alexander Antonoff|periodical=Die Welt|title=Bertelsmann darf im Wandel seinen Charakter nicht verlieren|at=p. 16|date=19 June 2001|language=German}} In "Humanity Wins", published in 2000, he strongly advocated an executive style in a spirit of partnership as a paradigm of a modern organizational structure.{{citation|surname1=Reinhard Mohn|periodical=Verlag Bertelsmann Stiftung|title=Menschlichkeit gewinnt: Eine Strategie für Fortschritt und Führungsfähigkeit|publication-place=Gütersloh|isbn=3-89204-482-1|date=2000|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Uwe Jean Heuser|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Partner statt Untertan|issue=21|date=2000|language=German|url=https://www.zeit.de/2000/21/Partner_statt_Untertan|access-date=1 May 2018

}} "An Age of New Possibilities" from 2001, defined a regulatory framework, which at its core is defined by entrepreneurship.{{citation|surname1=Reinhard Mohn|title=Die gesellschaftliche Verantwortung des Unternehmers|publisher=C. Bertelsmann Verlag|publication-place=München|isbn=3-570-00733-2|date=2003|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Ralf Altenhof|periodical=Neue Zürcher Zeitung|title=Mohns Vermächtnis: Plädoyer des Bertelsmann-Chefs für eine Unternehmenskultur des Staates|at=p. 89|date=12 April 2003|language=German}} In 2008, his last work was published as "A Global Lesson", in which Mohn provided an autobiographical account of the formative elements of his own life.{{citation|surname1=Reinhard Mohn|title=Von der Welt lernen: Erfolg durch Menschlichkeit und Freiheit|publisher=C. Bertelsmann Verlag|publication-place=München|isbn=978-3-570-01078-5|date=2008|language=German}}{{citation|periodical=Berliner Zeitung|title=Bertelsmann-Chef schreibt über sein Leben|at=p. 34|date=29 September 2008|language=German}}{{citation|periodical=Süddeutsche Zeitung|title=Der Waldläufer|date=15 October 2008|language=German

}} It was written with author {{Interlanguage link|Andrea Stoll|lt=|de||WD=}}, who also wrote the script to the film "Es müssen mehr Köpfe ans Denken kommen" (More minds need to start thinking) from Roland Suso Richter.{{citation|surname1=Stefan Brams|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Drehbuchautorin schreibt mit|date=8 March 2008|language=German}} This film was the gift from the Bertelsmann Executive Board to Mohn on his 85th birthday in 2006.{{citation|title=Ein Film, den wir nicht sehen dürfen|periodical=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/medien/bertelsmann-ein-film-den-wir-nicht-sehen-duerfen-1412148.html|accessdate=1 May 2018|last=Michael Hanfeld|date=25 January 2007}}

In 1991, on the 70th birthday of Reinhard Mohn, the Bertelsmann Executive Board established a Reinhard Mohn Endowed Chair for Corporate Governance, Business Ethics and Social Evolution at the private University of Witten/Herdecke.{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Bertelsmann stiftet Reinhard-Mohn-Lehrstuhl|at=p. 19|date=5 July 1991|language=German}}

In 2006, Mohn created the {{Interlanguage link|Reinhard Mohn Stiftung|lt=Reinhard Mohn Foundation|de||WD=}}, an eponymous foundation bearing his name, which has been run since 2010 by his son, Christoph Mohn.{{citation|surname1=Bernhard Hänel|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Die Rückkehr des Christoph Mohn: Sohn des Firmenpatriarchen wird Chef der Reinhard-Mohn-Stiftung|date=25 October 2011|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Ludger Osterkamp|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=In der Tradition seines Vaters|date=7 December 2011|language=German}} After the senior Mohn's death, the foundation gained shareholdings in Bertelsmann, which Reinhard Mohn had held via an intermediary company.{{citation|surname1=Klaus Boldt|periodical=Manager Magazin|title=Gesellschaftswandel|at=p. 12|date=27 August 2010|language=German}}

In 2010, the University of Witten/Herdecke honored Mohn by establishing an Institute for Corporate Management and Corporate Governance,{{citation|periodical=Westfalen-Blatt|title=Forschungszentrum würdigt Mohn: Institut an der Universität Witten/Herdecke trägt Namen des verstorbenen Bertelsmann-Patriarchen|date=30 October 2010|language=German}}{{citation|periodical=Westfalen-Blatt|title=Forschungszentrum würdigt Mohn|date=30 October 2010|language=German}} today known as the Reinhard Mohn Institute of Management.{{citation|title=Reinhard-Mohn-Institut für Unternehmensführung|date=14 July 2023 |publisher=Universität Witten/Herdecke|url=https://www.uni-wh.de/wirtschaft/einrichtungen-und-institute/reinhard-mohn-institut-fuer-unternehmensfuehrung-rmi/|language=German}} It also houses the Reinhard Mohn Chair of Management, endowed in 1991, and two professorships, one for strategy and organization and one for research.{{citation|title=Jahresbericht 2018|publisher=Bertelsmann Stiftung|url=https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/fileadmin/files/BSt/Publikationen/Infomaterialien/IN_Jahresbericht_2018_DE_2019_04.02.pdf|pages=43}}

In 2011, the Bertelsmann Stiftung awarded the first Reinhard Mohn Prize,{{citation|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Neuer Preis erinnert an Reinhard Mohn|date=22 March 2011|language=German}} which upholds and advances the tradition of the Carl Bertelsmann Prize.{{citation|periodical=Neue Westfälische|title=Gleicher Preis, neuer Name|date=1 May 2010|language=German}} This award honors internationally renowned individuals for forward-looking solutions to societal and political challenges.{{citation|title=Reinhard-Mohn-Preis geht an ehemaligen Präsidenten Estlands|periodical=Nw.de|url=http://www.nw.de/nachrichten/regionale_politik/21556950_Reinhard-Mohn-Preis-geht-an-ehemaligen-Praesidenten-Estlands.html|accessdate=2 January 2018|last=Marc Schröder|date=26 January 2017|language=German}}

Mohn was criticized for how he dealt with the National Socialist past of Bertelsmann.{{citation|surname1=Thomas Schuler|periodical=Berliner Zeitung|title=Mohns Brief|at=p. 18|date=14 October 2002|language=German}}{{citation|surname1=Thomas Schuler|periodical=Neue Zürcher Zeitung|title=Die Gabe des Vergessens|at=p. 63|date=31 October 2008|language=German}} After questions arose in the 1990s as to the company's role in the Third Reich,{{citation|periodical=Focus Magazin|title=Bertelsmann: Wachsender Imageschaden|issue=53|at=p. 12|date=1998|language=German}} Bertelsmann, with the support of Mohn, established an independent historical commission, seeking to come to terms with its involvement in the Nazi era.{{citation|surname1=Ralf Müller|periodical=Nürnberger Zeitung|title=Mohn war kein Nazi-Gegner|date=9 October 2002|language=German}} The commission presented its final report in 2002 and found that the decades-long account of its alleged involvement in a publishing company for the resistance could not be substantiated.{{citation|url=https://taz.de/!1085377/|first=Anton|last=Fuders|work=Die Tageszeitung|title=Dünner Schlussstrich|page=17|date=7 October 2002|language=German|accessdate=5 September 2019|via=taz archiv}}{{citation|surname1=Volker Ullrich|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Ein Musterbetrieb|issue=42|date=2002|language=German|url=https://www.zeit.de/2002/42/Ein_Musterbetrieb|access-date=1 May 2018

}} On the contrary, Bertelsmann was the largest book producer for the Wehrmacht.{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Bertelsmann-Chef zeigt Reue|at=p. 18|date=8 October 2002|language=German|url=http://www.handelsblatt.com/archiv/medienkonzern-in-der-nazi-zeit-groesster-buchproduzent-der-wehrmacht-bertelsmann-chef-zeigt-reue/2201688.html|access-date=1 May 2018}}

In 2010, author and journalist {{Interlanguage link|Thomas Schuler (journalist)|de|Thomas Schuler (Journalist)|lt=Thomas Schuler|WD=}} criticized a "tax-saving interrelationship" between Bertelsmann and the foundation Bertelsmann Stiftung. The structures set up by Mohn were alleged to have saved his family billions in inheritance tax.{{citation|title=Nur im eigenen Interesse|periodical=Deutschlandfunk Kultur|url=https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/nur-im-eigenen-interesse.1310.de.html?dram:article_id=194162|accessdate=25 September 2018|last=Ralph Gerstenberg|date=23 August 2010|language=German}} However, this tax would not have been owed, according to the prevailing legal view at that time.{{citation|surname1=Thomas Schuler|periodical=Berliner Zeitung|title=Unbequeme Wahrheiten|at=p. 26|date=20 August 2010|language=German}}{{citation|title=175 Jahre Bertelsmann: Grundgütiges aus Gütersloh|periodical=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/175-jahre-bertelsmann-grundguetiges-aus-guetersloh-11038357.html|accessdate=5 November 2018|last=Peter Rawert|date=14 September 2010}}

• List of billionaires

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Reinhard Mohn}}

• [https://www.bertelsmann.com/company/history/reinhard-mohn/ Reinhard Mohn: Entrepreneur Par Excellence]

{{Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohn, Reinhard}}

Category:1921 births

Category:2009 deaths

Category:German billionaires

Category:German mass media owners

Category:20th-century German newspaper publishers (people)

Category:21st-century German newspaper publishers (people)

Category:Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Reinhard

Category:German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States

Category:People from Gütersloh

Category:People from the Province of Westphalia

Category:Reich Labour Service members

Category:Luftwaffe personnel of World War II

Category:Bertelsmann Stiftung people