Press Release | Gütersloh, 01/29/2020

Bertelsmann Strengthens Representation in Brussels

• RTL Group General Counsel Vincent de Dorlodot appointed as new Head of the Brussels Liaison Office
• Expanded remit includes Bertelsmann and RTL Group's EU-related matters
• Stepped-up efforts to ensure a level playing field with U.S. tech platforms

The international media, services, and education group Bertelsmann is stepping up its public affairs activities in Brussels. The Group is pooling its representation and political communications under one roof to include responsibility for all of RTL Group’s EU-related matters. The aim is to lend more weight to the political communications of Bertelsmann, RTL Group, and the other corporate divisions in Europe’s capital. With effect from February 1, 2020, the new head of this Brussels Liaison Office will be Vincent de Dorlodot, previously General Counsel of RTL Group in Luxembourg. In this role, he will report to Karin Schlautmann, Head of Corporate Communications and a member of Bertelsmann’s Group Management Committee (GMC).

Karin Schlautmann said: “Regulatory topics in the European institutions are of great importance to Bertelsmann and affect the Group’s businesses in many ways. The creative industry in Europe, of which Bertelsmann is a major part, is confronted with unequal competitive conditions vis-à-vis the US tech platforms, despite its great economic importance. Addressing this imbalance and promoting a level playing field is our objective. We are committed to contributing to the modernizing of the regulatory framework in Europe. This includes everything from the dismantling of outdated restrictions on TV advertising, to discrimination in matters of liability, taxation, and data protection, through to antitrust law. So it is important for Bertelsmann, RTL Group, and the other divisions to speak with one voice in Brussels, in order to enter into constructive dialog with the relevant decision-makers in the EU. I am delighted that in Vincent de Dorlodot, we have gained a proven and experienced expert in all matters of EU law that are of significance to Bertelsmann and RTL Group. He has already worked intensively on all regulatory matters in his capacity as General Counsel at RTL Group. I wish Vincent every success in his new role and look forward to working with him in the future.”

Vincent de Dorlodot, born in 1965, was appointed General Counsel of RTL Group in April 2000. He started his career in 1990 as an attorney working for the law firm De Bandt, Van Hecke et Lagae (now Linklaters). In 1995, he joined Groupe Bruxelles Lambert as corporate counsel, a position he held until joining RTL Group. He studied at the University of Louvain (Belgium) and the University of Leiden (Netherlands). He gained a master’s degree in law from Duke University (USA) in 1994. 

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 117,000 employees and generated revenues of €17.7 billion in the 2018 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.