Press Release | Gütersloh, 11/28/2014

Judith Hartmann to Leave Bertelsmann

Chief Financial Officer Judith Hartmann (45) will be leaving Bertelsmann with effect from January 31, 2015. The Supervisory Board will decide on her successor in due course. Until then, CEO Thomas Rabe will additionally take interim responsibility for the financial department.

Christoph Mohn, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann, said: “The Supervisory Board regrets Judith Hartmann’s departure and wishes her all the best for her personal and professional future. On behalf of all Supervisory Board members, I would like to sincerely thank her for her excellent and successful work. Judith Hartmann provided essential input for key strategic milestones in Bertelsmann’s transformation into a faster-growing, more digital and more international company. She has been instrumental in the successful placement of RTL Group shares, and initiated and advanced the Group-wide Operational Excellence program. Bertelsmann is on a very solid financial foundation and is excellently equipped for its future development.”

Judith Hartmann joined the Bertelsmann Executive Board on October 15, 2012. Prior to joining Bertelsmann, the native Austrian was a member of the Global Executive Team at GE and as Chief Financial Officer was responsible for the financials for various business units within the Group, most recently for its German operations. She had previously worked in the same capacity for GE Healthcare Latin America, GE Water Europe, Middle East & Africa, and GE Healthcare Clinical Systems in São Paulo, Brussels, Vienna and Wauwatosa (USA). Her earlier career stations included The Walt Disney Company in Paris.

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is an international media company whose core divisions encompass television (RTL Group), book publishing (Penguin Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), services (Arvato), and printing (Be Printers) in some 50 countries. In 2013, the company’s businesses, with their more than 111,000 employees, generated revenues of €16.4 billion. Bertelsmann stands for a combination of creativity and entrepreneurship that empowers the creation of first-rate media, communications, and service offerings to inspire people around the world and to provide innovative solutions for customers.