Hubert Burda
Hubert Burda | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 9, 1940 Germany |
| Occupation(s) | Media executive, publisher |
| Known for | CEO of Hubert Burda Media |
Hubert Burda (born 9 February 1940) is a German billionaire and the chief executive officer of Hubert Burda Media, an international media enterprise that offers over 600 products, encompassing websites, print magazines, and brands across 20 countries, predominantly in Germany and the United Kingdom. Notable titles under his leadership include Focus, Bunte, and Radio Times.
He also serves as chairman of the annual Digital Life Design (DLD) conference, which takes place each January in Munich.
As of July 2025, Forbes values his net worth at $4 billion.
Early life
Burda is the youngest child of publishers Franz and Aenne Burda, with elder siblings Franz and Frieder.
Originally intending to pursue painting, he studied art history at Ludwig Maximilians University under the guidance of Hans Sedlmayr, supplementing his education with archaeology and sociology. Before reaching 26 years old, he earned a doctorate in art history with a dissertation entitled Die Ruine in Hubert Robert's Pictures.
Following internships at advertising agencies and publishing firms in the United States, Burda took on the role of publishing director for the Burda magazine until 1974. In 1969, he launched the independent publication m - The Magazine For Men.
Burda Holding
In 1987, Burda became the sole owner and CEO of Burda Holding. One year later, he brought on Günter Prinz, formerly editorial director at Bild-Zeitung under Springer-Verlag. Along with the television guide Super TV, Burda introduced SUPERillu, which became the leading magazine by circulation in former East Germany, launching just six weeks prior to German reunification.
In 1993, he collaborated with Helmut Markwort to establish the news magazine Focus, designed to rival Der Spiegel.
The company was renamed Hubert Burda Media in 1999. Whereas revenues had previously been balanced between printing and publishing, under Hubert Burda’s direction the firm broadened its presence substantially into digital platforms and international territories. This growth involved partnerships with Hachette, Microsoft, and Rizzoli, as well as expansion into markets such as Singapore, Thailand, India, and Russia.
Current operations
By 2018, Hubert Burda Media employed 12,369 individuals and reported €2.66 billion in revenue distributed among four divisions: Digital Brands National, Media Brands National, Media Brands International, and Print.
The German publishing sector generated more than €650 million in revenue, reaching nearly 75% of Germany’s population. Meanwhile, the international division achieved a turnover of €413 million.
Career and memberships
As of July 2025, Forbes estimated Hubert Burda’s net worth at US$4 billion. He ranks as Germany’s third wealthiest publisher after Friede Springer and Elisabeth Mohn.
In 2010, Burda stepped down from his CEO position. He transferred ownership stakes to his children; Elisabeth Burda Furtwängler and Jacob each hold 37.4%, while he maintains a 25.1% share.
Affiliations
- Serves on the Advisory Council of the Association Against Forgetting – For Democracy
- Established the Academy of the Third Millennium
- Originator of the Iconic Turn lecture series exploring media's influence on culture
- President of the VDZ Academy under the Association of German Magazine Publishers
- Co-founder of the European Publishers Council (EPC)
- Participated as a panelist at the World Economic Forum, Davos
- Previously chaired Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
- Founded the Hubert Burda Center for Innovative Communication at Ben-Gurion University in Israel
- Initiated "Godfather for Tolerance," supporting Munich’s Jewish Center
- Chairs the Board of Trustees for the Germany Foundation Integration
Philanthropic Endeavors
In 1975, Burda launched the Petrarca-Preis, which honored contemporary poets and translators until 1999 and was revived from 2010 to 2014. This award was followed by the Hermann Lenz Prize, active from 1999 to 2009.
Between 1987 and 1995, he backed both the Petrarca Translator Prize for literary translation and the Nicolas Born prize for poetry.
The Corporate Art Prize was created by Burda in 1997 to acknowledge corporate contributions to culture.
In 1999, he founded the Hubert Burda Foundation, dedicated to literature, international dialogue, art, culture, and science, alongside establishing the Hubert Burda Prize for Emerging Poets from Eastern Europe.
The Felix Burda Foundation was initiated in 2001 with a focus on early detection and prevention of colon cancer, named in memory of his son Felix who succumbed to this illness.
Together with Offenburg in 2005, Burda donated the European Translators Award.
Since 2006, he has been a supporter of the Aenne Burda Award, which encourages young women in media at Burda's Digital, Life, Design conference.
German-Jewish Reconciliation
Burda has received recognition from German-Jewish organizations for his work promoting industrial reparations and strengthening Jewish and non-Jewish relations within Germany. He actively fosters connections with Israel and champions the revival of Jewish life in Munich. He holds an Honorary Senate position at the College of Jewish Studies in Heidelberg.
In October 1999, he was awarded the Interfaith Gold Medallion by the International Council of Christians and Jews in acknowledgment of his reconciliation initiatives.
In 2005, Burda launched Paten für Toleranz alongside German publishers to support Munich’s Jewish Centre Jakobsplatz, contributing €1 million.
He also co-funded an English-language CD-ROM version of Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation archive.
Burda’s father, Franz Burda, was a map publisher before and during the Nazi period and joined the party in 1938. Salomon Korn described their company history during that time as a "case study" illustrating guilt and conscience for future generations.
Federal Assembly Membership
At the recommendation of the CDU, Hubert Burda served as a member of the 14th Federal Assembly and took part in electing the German Federal President on 30 June 2010.
Bibliography
- The Ruin in the Pictures: Hubert Robert Fink, Munich 1967 (Dissertation, University of Munich).
- (Editor) Weltmarkt der Medien. Featuring contributions by Wolfgang R. Langenbucher and Holger Rust. Burda, Munich 1993.
- The Digital Revolution. In: Media + Education, 1994, No. 5, pp. 268–271.
- (Co-edited with Christa Maar) Iconic Turn. The New Power of Images. DuMont, Cologne 2004.
- Medial Chambers of Wonder. Edited by Wolfgang Ullrich. Fink, Munich 2009.
- What Traditional Economy Can Learn From an Internet Entrepreneur. In: Döpfner, Hombach, Rüttgers (eds.): 2020 - Thoughts on the Future of the Internet. Klartext, Essen, 2010.
- In medias res. Ten Chapters on the Iconic Turn. Petrarca / Fink, Munich / Paderborn 2010.
- The Bunte Story – A People Magazine Amidst Upheaval. Pantheon Verlag, Munich 2012 (paperback and e-book).
- Notes on the Digital Revolution 1990-2015: How Media Evolve, Petrarca Verlag, Munich 2014.
- Digital Horizons: Strategies for New Media, Petrarca Verlag, Munich 2016.
- Landwege - Seewege, Petrarca Verlag, Munich 2017.
- Walk with Hubert Burda: Origin. Black Forest, by Elmar Langenbacher, 2017.
Literature
- Judith Betzler (editor): Hubert Burda. Art and Media; Festschrift, Petrarca, Munich 2000.
- Gero von Boehm: Conversation in Encounters. People Pictures from Three Decades, Collection Rolf Heyne, Munich 2012, pp. 289–297.
- Gisela Freisinger: Hubert Burda. The Medienfürst. Campus, Frankfurt am Main 2005.
- Strongly Female-Focused: Burda Publishing House’s Assertive Approach. Featured in Manager Magazin, 2005.
- Jürgen Rohn’s interview with Burda in Offenburger Tageblatt, January 2007.
- Stefan Niggemeier: Digital Life Design: Potentials and Enhancements, published in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, January 2007.
Films
- Hubert Burda. Between Rebellion and Duty. German documentary, 2006, 45 minutes, Directed by Kathrin Pitterling; Produced by Norddeutscher Rundfunk; Premiered January 2007.
- Gero von Boehm meets… Hubert Burda. Interview format, Germany, 2002, 45 minutes; Directed by Gero von Boehm; Produced by Interscience; First aired April 2002 on 3sat.
Awards
- 1997: First Class Federal Cross of Merit
- 1999: International Panel of Christians and Jews’ Interfaith Gold Medal
- 2000: Honorary Professorship granted by the Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister
- 2000: Honorary citizenship awarded by Offenburg
- 2000: Honorary Member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts
- 2000: Gold Medal "Munich shines"
- 2000: Bavarian Print Media Award recipient
- 2002: Great Federal Cross of Merit
- 2002: Honorary professor title bestowed by the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg
- 2004: Christian-Democratic Workforce Future Prize
- 2005: Grand Officer’s Cross of the Italian Order of Merit
- 2006: Leo Baeck Prize honoree
- 2007: Jakob Fugger Medal from the Association of Magazine Publishers in Bavaria
- 2008: Medal of Merit from Baden-Württemberg
- 2008: Grand Cross of Merit with star, presented by President Köhler at Bellevue Palace
- 2009: Honorary Doctorate from LMU Munich’s Medical Faculty
- 2009: Ohel-Jakob Medal recipient
- 2011: Honorary senator at the College of Jewish Studies
- 2012: Officer rank in the Legion of Honor
- 2014: Tolerance Ring awarded by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
- 2014: Award recognizing understanding and tolerance from the Jewish Museum Berlin
- 2015: Moses Mendelssohn Medal recipient
- 2019: Granted Honorary Citizenship of Munich
Additionally, Burda holds the European Print Media Prize and was awarded the Gold Medal for Freedom of Speech by the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA). He is a member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts and has received the Hermann Lenz Award for German poetry.
Personal life
In 1967, Burda wed art historian Christa Maar; their marriage ended in divorce five years later in 1972. They had a son, Felix (born in 1967), who passed away from colorectal cancer in January 2001 (refer to Felix Burda Foundation).
Burda remarried in 1991 to physician and actress Maria Furtwängler. The couple has two children together: Jakob (born 1990) and Elisabeth (born 1992).