Friede Springer
Friede Springer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Friede Riewerts August 15, 1942 |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Known for | Principal proprietor of Axel Springer SE media group |
Friede Springer (née Friede Riewerts, born 15 August 1942) is a prominent German publisher and the widow of Axel Springer. As the principal proprietor of the Axel Springer SE media group, which owns Europe's leading newspaper Bild, she ranks among the wealthiest individuals in Germany.
Biography
Originating from a Frisian family of gardeners, she initially joined the Springer household in 1965 as a nanny. Eventually, she became Axel Springer's partner and married him in 1978 as his fifth wife. Friede Springer is affiliated with the Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Germany.
Upon the passing of Axel Springer, she inherited a 26.1% share in the publishing trust, shared with his children and grandchildren from earlier marriages. At that time, other major stakeholders included Bavaria-based film distributor Leo Kirch, the Burda family, as well as smaller investors. She took over management responsibilities at Axel Springer AG and became the sole executive of Springer Holding.
During her tenure, the Springer family repurchased shares from the Burda brothers in 1988 for approximately DM 531 million—almost twice their initial investment made five years prior. Through continued acquisitions of other family members’ stakes, she gradually consolidated ownership. In 2002, she appointed Mathias Döpfner as chairman, who successfully revitalized the company and ended its longstanding association with Munich entrepreneur Leo Kirch.
As of July 2015, Friede Springer holds the position of deputy chairwoman on Axel Springer AG’s supervisory board while remaining its largest shareholder. She directly owns 5.6% of the company’s stock and controls a 90% interest in Axel Springer Gesellschaft für Publizistik GmbH & Co. KG, which itself holds 51.5% of Axel Springer AG. According to Forbes (November 2017), her net worth was estimated at US$5.1 billion, placing her 31st among Germany’s wealthiest individuals and 460th worldwide.
A member of the Christian Democratic Union, she maintains a close relationship with former Chancellor Angela Merkel and took part in the 12th Federal Assembly in 2004 responsible for electing the President of Germany.
Other activities
- Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, Axel Springer Foundation
- Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, Friede Springer Foundation (since 2011)
- Member of the Board of Trustees, Friends of the Fraenkelufer Synagogue
- Co-founder, Virchow Foundation
Recognition
Springer has been honored with numerous awards such as the Order of Merit of Berlin (1988), Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1996), Leo Baeck Prize awarded by the Central Council of Jews in Germany (2000), Bavarian Order of Merit (2004), and Order of Merit of Saxony-Anhalt (2019).