Historic changes are about to take place at Bertelsmann: in 2027, Thomas Coesfeld, Reinhard Mohn’s grandson, will take over as CEO of the media giant. At the same time, RTL Group also got a new boss.
Generational change at Bertelsmann: Thomas Coesfeld, grandson of company chief Reinhard Mohn, who died in 2009, will become the company’s new CEO. On January 1, 2027, the 35-year-old will replace Thomas Rabe, who has led the media group with channels such as RTL and Vox since 2012, the company announced at Gütersloh. Rabe would later step down from his position at the end of his third term as CEO.
Together with Coesfeld, members of the founding family will once again lead Bertelsmann, which also includes television giant RTL. With channels such as RTL and Vox, the group reaches millions of people in Germany every day and is one of Europe’s largest media companies. The fact that Mohn’s grandson is now taking over management is considered an important step in the history of the traditional family business.
Thomas Coesfeld has been head of BMG Bertelsmann’s music division since July 2023 and has also been a member of Bertelsmann’s board since July 2024. There he is responsible for the music business, which has been one of the group’s fastest growing areas in recent years. Coesfeld was previously CFO of BMG and played a key role in the business’ international expansion.
In his announcement, Coesfeld said of his promotion: “This is a challenge for which I will rely on the support of the entire board, top management and all employees.”
New boss for RTL Group
As Thomas Rabe currently serves as head of the RTL Group, a new CEO will take over operational management of the television station in the future: Clement Schwebig, who was previously responsible for Western Europe and Africa at Warner Bros. Discovery, will start work on May 1, 2026 and will also be part of Bertelsmann’s board of directors, the company announced. This means that the new CEO will be responsible for managing the RTL Group in the future, while Thomas Coesfeld will assume overall responsibility for the group.
His brother Carsten Coesfeld has been a member of the board since the beginning of 2024 and heads the Investments and Financial Solutions department, which is responsible for international investments and new growth areas. Observers have long predicted that the brothers would have a bright future at Bertelsmann – now, for the first time in decades, a member of the founding family is leading the company.
Bertelsmann achieved sales of 9.1 billion euros in the first half of 2025 and expects consolidated revenue of around 1.5 billion euros for the full year. The group employs around 75,000 people in more than 50 countries. In addition to RTL Group, the portfolio also includes international publishing group Penguin Random House, music division BMG and services division Arvato.
Rabe has internationalized Bertelsmann in recent years and focused it on digital businesses. Under his leadership, Bertelsmann’s investment platforms were established in the United States, Asia and Europe, among others. Regarding the upcoming leadership change, the 60-year-old said: “We have worked closely and trusted each other for many years, and I will do everything I can to ensure a smooth leadership change.” Bertelsmann’s management will be handled well by him and his team.
Before Rabe, other prominent managers had shaped the company’s fortunes – such as Thomas Middelhoff, who led Bertelsmann into the Internet era in the late 1990s, but then failed with an expansion strategy and faced criticism after moving to Arcandor (Karstadt). Hartmut Ostrowski led Bertelsmann as CEO until the end of 2011, before Rabe succeeded him in 2012. Rolf Buch, now head of Vonovia’s residential group, also plays a central role in the company as CEO of Arvato and a member of Bertelsmann’s board of directors.
Bertelsmann’s main shareholder is the Bertelsmann Foundation, founded by Reinhard Mohn. The company holds the majority of shares and is largely financed from group revenues. This means that much of Bertelsmann’s economic success flows into the work of the foundation, which, according to its own statements, is committed to social reform, education and economic participation.
dpa/cvb
