In Focus
Bertelsmann Stiftung: CEO Gunter Thielen assesses first 100 days
"The Bertelsmann Stiftung wants to help shape globalization's impact on Germany," the foundation's new CEO, Gunter Thielen, said, assessing his first 100 days in office. "We are all living in a world that is rapidly changing, and we want to be a foundation that gets involved in change processes." In his first 100 days as chairman and CEO of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, Thielen has initiated a number of measures to achieve this goal. "We've realigned the foundation's organizational structures to reflect the new challenges," he said, "and we have consolidated our projects and resources." In addition, other steps have been taken to give the foundation a more international focus, such as the opening of an office in Washington, DC at the beginning of the year.
moreThroughout his years as an executive at Bertelsmann, Gunter Thielen has adhered to the Bertelsmann corporate culture as formulated by the company's founder, Reinhard Mohn.
moreNews
Washington/Gütersloh - 08/05/2008
Listen - Learn - Partner
Dr. Gunter Thielen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, and Liz Mohn, Vice-Chair of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, spent two days in Washington DC in order to exchange ideas about the transatlantic and international work of the Bertelsmann Foundation with key representatives from the politics as well as the foundation and think tank world. Gunter Thielen invited around 80 representatives of the largest American Foundations to a side reception at the annual summit of US Foundations where he emphasized "We are here to listen to you, learn from you and partner with you."
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Gütersloh - 05/05/2008
Europe's unsolved human rights issue
Few Europeans realize that human trafficking and forced labor are taking place in their very midst. Human trafficking is one of organized crime's most flourishing areas of operation, and if the EU takes on new responsibilities, this topic belongs at the top of the agenda. In the current edition of "spotlight europe," the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Armando García Schmidt takes a look at Europe's unresolved human rights issue.
Rome/Gütersloh - 30/04/2008
Liz Mohn meets with Pope Benedict
As part of a general audience at the Vatican, Liz Mohn, vice-chair of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, met with Pope Benedict XVI on April 30, 2008, at St. Peter's in Rome. Accompanied by her daughter, Dr. Brigitte Mohn, and Dr. Martin Rieger, program director at the Bertelsmann Stiftung, Mohn presented the pope with a copy of the Religion Monitor recently published by the foundation. Following the general audience in Rome, the delegation from Gütersloh took part in a tour of the Papal University, home to the first Department of Bioethics.
Project portraits
Europe's Global Responsibility
The project "Europas weltpolitische Mitverantwortung" (Europe's Global Responsibility) is helping to shape the development of the EU's foreign and security policy by providing analyses, strategy recommendations and concrete proposals for taking action. It focuses on strengthening the transatlantic partnership and on developing the EU's foreign, security and defense policy instruments.
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Work/Life Balance
Only by being family friendly can Germany ensure its future. The German population is decreasing in number and growing older. At the same time, most young Germans want to found a family and raise children. Yet in Germany today, the realities of both having children and participating in the workforce often clash.
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The enlarged Europe
The future of Europe is open-reason for euphoric hope as well as uncertainty and fear. Guided by the model of a democratic, transparent and effective political region, the Bertelsmann Stiftung is analyzing the process of European integration and formulating recommendations for reforming policy management and steering within the enlarged Europe.
moreCatalogue of focus areas
Publication
topics, May 2008
In the May 2008 issue of topics, the Bertelsmann Stiftung's English-language newsletter, our new CEO Gunter Thielen discusses the foundation's future plans.
moreRecent Publication
Successful Budget Consolidation
Demographic change is one of the most important challenges for public finances in future. In the absence of counteractive measures, the increasing demand for expenditures from an ageing society will inevitably lead to a debt crisis in many European countries. Nevertheless, the impressive budget consolidations in some industrialized countries show that a reversal is possible.
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Publication
Bertelsmann Transformation Index 2008
The peaceful transition of authoritarian regimes towards democracy and a market economy poses enormous challenges for citizens and politicians alike. Comparing the status of democracy and market economy on an international basis, the BTI provides comprehensive data on the quality of political management in 125 transition and developing countries from 2005 to 2007.
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