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175 Years of Bertelsmann The Management | The Group | Divisions | Spirit | Financial Information 25
Bertelsmann Annual Report 2009
Letter from the CEO
Executive Board
Bertelsmann is celebrating its 175 th anniversary in 2010. Last year, as well as this year, will
be remembered as an important period in our long and successful history. Th e year 2009
saw two signifi cant watershed events for Bertelsmann. Th e fi rst was the death of Reinhard
Mohn, our post-war founder and one of the great entrepreneurs of the 20 th century. The
second was a global economic crisis of historic proportions. Th is year, too, is a milestone.
As we celebrate “175 Years of Bertelsmann – Th e Legacy For Our Future,” we will focus on
the future – the future of Bertelsmann, the future of media and services, and the future of
one of the most exciting industries in the world.
First, however, let us look back at the key business decisions and developments of the past
year, as refl ected in the Annual Report 2009 you hold in your hands.
Th e year 2009 was dominated by one word: crisis. Th e crisis aff ected all of us directly or
indirectly, and was felt by our company as well. Bertelsmann has overcome this crisis. We
used the decentralized power of our company to act quickly and consistently – each division
and company in its own way. Once again, the entrepreneurs who make up Bertelsmann’s
“company of entrepreneurs” acted decisively, aided by their close proximity to their markets
and to their customers. This approach – identifying and meeting challenges, and transforming
them into opportunities – has characterized the staff and executives at Bertelsmann
for decades.
Decentralization is an essential part of our culture, and together with the structure of our
company, it forms the secret of our success. Th is approach has allowed us to fi nd many
diff erent responses to the challenges of the past months, each of them tailored to the situation
at hand.
A Company of Entrepreneurs