Press Release | Gütersloh, 02/18/2021

Career Event ‘Talent Meets Bertelsmann’ To Go Virtual For The First Time

• Bertelsmann takes an innovative approach to scouting young talent
• Interested students from all fields of study are invited to apply by March 14
• Three hours of TMB21, three days a week, for three weeks

For the first time, Bertelsmann is inviting students from all over Europe to a purely virtual career event: The 13th edition of “Talent Meets Bertelsmann” (TMB) will take place from April 12 to 30, 2021, in an innovative digital environment where virtual readings and living-room concerts will round off the creative workshops and competition among participants. Applications for TMB21 are now open; the program is aimed at creative, tech-savvy students from all disciplines. Since 2008, some 700 participants have completed the program. Today, more than 160 of them work at the international media, services, and education company Bertelsmann, some of them in high-ranking positions. Every year, between 700 and 1,000 students apply for TMB.

“Our goal is to bring together a broad, international, and as diverse as possible group of talents with Bertelsmann. TMB is well established as a strong and attractive brand for this target group,” says Bertelsmann Chief HR Officer Immanuel Hermreck. “Here, we find the greatest possible diversity of exactly the kind of creative young talent Bertelsmann is looking for – and they find an employer who motivates and inspires them. Because in the long term, Bertelsmann offers talents interesting tasks, an early assumption of responsibility, and a wide range of career opportunities.” Hermreck adds: “TMB is more than a program. It’s a vibrant network that continues to grow every year and constitutes a valuable talent resource for us. So I’m happy that despite the Corona pandemic, we are able to offer a TMB program again in 2021, purely digital, highly innovative, and really creative.”

For TMB21, up to 50 places are available to students from all over Europe. Interested students can apply by March 14 at www.talentmeetsbertelsmann.com  . The program begins on April 12. This time, it will run for three weeks. Three-hour events will take place three days a week, always in the early evening, and entirely digital. Six interdisciplinary groups of seven students each will work on cross-disciplinary problems from the areas of Creativity & Data with a particular relevance for Bertelsmann’s businesses. Topics can include journalism, storytelling, entertainment, learning, supply chain and tech & data. In the workshops, the participants receive coaching – from senior Bertelsmann managers, among others.

“Just as the live events have been – and hopefully will be again from 2022 – we will make the virtual TMB a unique experience for participants,” promises Immanuel Hermreck. “Besides the workshops, where the students will work together on exciting, real-life projects, we are planning live virtual events such as living-room concerts and a studio tour, as well as a quiz night and networking evenings. This will allow us to at least indirectly convey some of what makes Bertelsmann so fascinating.” On April 28, the groups will present their workshop results to the panel of judges, which will then announce the winners two days later. Once again, the team of judges includes top managers from Bertelsmann’s key businesses, further underscoring the importance of the event for the Group. Attractive prizes and awards await the best teams – in addition to a rewarding experience and the opportunity to network with each other and Bertelsmann.

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 126,000 employees and generated revenues of €18.0 billion in the 2019 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. Bertelsmann aspires to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.