The question about who will succeed Thomas Rabe as chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann has been answered with the announcement that Thomas Coesfeld will fill those roles when Rabe steps down at the end of 2026, ending his 15-year tenure heading the conglomerate whose holdings include Penguin Random House.
Rabe announced his intention to step down in March 2024, prompting speculation about who would be his successor. The appointment of Coesfeld puts a member of the Mohn family, which controls Bertelsmann, in charge of the company for the first time since 1981.
Thomas Coesfeld along with his brother, Cartsen, had been seen has the favorites to succeed Rabe. Both men are the grandsons of Bertelsmann patriarch Reinhard Mohn and have served in various capacities within Bertelsmann’s various companies. Thomas is currently head of Bertelsmann’s music business, BMG. (Among the jobs Cartsen has held was head of DK).
In making the announcement of Coesfeld’s appointment, Christoph Mohn, chairman of the Bertelsmann supervisory board, said the selection “marks a generational change in Bertelsmann’s leadership.” Thomas is 35 and Cartsen is 38.
“I would like to thank the supervisory board—and in particular its chairman, Christoph Mohn—for the trust they have placed in me,” Coesfeld said in a statement. “I am very much looking forward to assuming responsibility for leading Bertelsmann.”
A version of this article appeared in the 11/17/2025 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline:
