Friede Springer
Encyclopedia
Friede Springer is a German
publisher and widow of Axel Springer
.
Being a gardener's daughter, she worked as a nanny at the Springer family's home from 1965 on and later became Springer's lover and eventual partner. In 1978 she became Springer's fifth (and final) wife. She is a member of the Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church
in Germany.
After Axel Springer's death she, together with children and grandchildren from his prior marriages, inherited Springer's shares in his publishing trust. At the time, Springer was still holding 26.1 per cent of the corporation, the rest was held by the Bavaria
n film trader Leo Kirch
, the Burda
family and several minor investors. Subsequently she became manager of Axel Springer AG
and sole executive manager of the Springer Holding.
Under her guidance, the Springer heirs bought back the company's shares from the two Burda brothers for about DM 531 million in 1988. Five years prior, the brothers had paid half that sum for their share. As Springer's children leaned up against her in the following years, she bought the family members out and thus took over their shares. In 2002, she (formally being the company's governing body) installed Mathias Döpfner
as the new chairman of the board. He led the Springer AG out of its crisis and dissolved the tight bond with Munich
based entrepreneur Leo Kirch.
Friede Springer owns 5 % of Springer AG's stocks (as of 2006), most of all though 90 % of Axel Springer Gesellschaft für Publizistik GmbH & Co., which in turn has a stake of 50 % in Springer AG's turnover and holds 10 stocks of the company. She acts as deputy chairperson of the board for Germany's second largest media group (with only Bertelsmann AG being bigger). After a merger with ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG the trust would have been on rank 24 of a worldwide list, yet such a motion could not pass a governmental commission's check for harmlessness of media conglomerates in Germany in January 2006.
According to Forbes Magazine she owns a private fortune of US$ 3.2 billion and thereby was ranking as number 26 on the list of Germany's wealthiest people and number 273 worldwide in 2007.
She is not only a friend of Angela Merkel
but also a party member of the Christian Democratic Union
. As such she participated in the 12th Federal Assembly
in 2004 to elect the President of Germany
.
Among other decorations she received the Order of Merit of the State of Berlin
in 1988, the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
in 1996, the Leo Baeck Price by the Central Council of Jews in Germany
in 2000 and in 2004 she received the Bavarian Order of Merit
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
publisher and widow of Axel Springer
Axel Springer
Axel Springer , was a German journalist and the founder and owner of the Axel Springer AG publishing company.-Early life:...
.
Being a gardener's daughter, she worked as a nanny at the Springer family's home from 1965 on and later became Springer's lover and eventual partner. In 1978 she became Springer's fifth (and final) wife. She is a member of the Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church
Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church
The Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church is a confessional Lutheran church body of Germany. It is a member of the European Lutheran Conference and a member of the International Lutheran Council . The SELK synod has about 36,000 members in 200 congregations...
in Germany.
After Axel Springer's death she, together with children and grandchildren from his prior marriages, inherited Springer's shares in his publishing trust. At the time, Springer was still holding 26.1 per cent of the corporation, the rest was held by the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n film trader Leo Kirch
Leo Kirch
Leo Kirch was a German media entrepreneur who founded the Kirch Group.-Life:Kirch was born in Volkach, Bavaria, but shortly afterward his family moved to the nearby town of Würzburg. After completing High school he studied marketing and management as well as mathematics at the University of...
, the Burda
Hubert Burda Media
Hubert Burda Media is a German privately held, family-owned global media company with its origins in printing and magazine publishing. The company is headquartered in Offenburg and Munich, has additional main offices in Berlin and Hamburg and has more than 7400 employees...
family and several minor investors. Subsequently she became manager of Axel Springer AG
Axel Springer AG
Axel Springer AG is one of the largest multimedia companies in Europe, with more than 11,500 employees and with annual revenues of about €2.9 billion. The Company is active in a total of 36 countries, including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland...
and sole executive manager of the Springer Holding.
Under her guidance, the Springer heirs bought back the company's shares from the two Burda brothers for about DM 531 million in 1988. Five years prior, the brothers had paid half that sum for their share. As Springer's children leaned up against her in the following years, she bought the family members out and thus took over their shares. In 2002, she (formally being the company's governing body) installed Mathias Döpfner
Mathias Döpfner
Mathias Döpfner , is Chief Executive Officer of German media group Axel Springer AG.-Family:Mathias Döpfner grew up in Offenbach am Main. His mother was a housewife and his father Dieter C...
as the new chairman of the board. He led the Springer AG out of its crisis and dissolved the tight bond with Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
based entrepreneur Leo Kirch.
Friede Springer owns 5 % of Springer AG's stocks (as of 2006), most of all though 90 % of Axel Springer Gesellschaft für Publizistik GmbH & Co., which in turn has a stake of 50 % in Springer AG's turnover and holds 10 stocks of the company. She acts as deputy chairperson of the board for Germany's second largest media group (with only Bertelsmann AG being bigger). After a merger with ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG the trust would have been on rank 24 of a worldwide list, yet such a motion could not pass a governmental commission's check for harmlessness of media conglomerates in Germany in January 2006.
According to Forbes Magazine she owns a private fortune of US$ 3.2 billion and thereby was ranking as number 26 on the list of Germany's wealthiest people and number 273 worldwide in 2007.
She is not only a friend of Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
but also a party member of the Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
. As such she participated in the 12th Federal Assembly
Bundesversammlung (Germany)
The Federal Convention is a special body in the institutional system of Germany, convened solely for the purpose of electing the German Federal President , either every five years or within 30 days of a president's resignation, death or removal from office.The Bundesversammlung includes the entire...
in 2004 to elect the President of Germany
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
.
Among other decorations she received the Order of Merit of the State of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1988, the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
in 1996, the Leo Baeck Price by the Central Council of Jews in Germany
Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland
The Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland is a federation of German Jews organizing many Jewish organisations in Germany. It was founded on July 19, 1950, as a response to the increasing isolation of German Jews by the international Jewish community and increasing interest in Jewish affairs by the ...
in 2000 and in 2004 she received the Bavarian Order of Merit
Bavarian Order of Merit
The Bavarian Order of Merit is the order of merit of the Free State of Bavaria. It is awarded by the Minister-President of Bavaria as a "recognition of outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavaria and the Bavarian people"....
.