Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA

Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA is an international media, services and education group founded in 1835 as a small book publisher in Germany. Nearly two centuries later it employs well over 80,000 people and operates in approximately 50 countries. The company has grown from a local publishing house into a global group, guided since its inception by the idea that creative and entrepreneurial minds can build something lasting.

The group's businesses are organised across several divisions. RTL Group covers broadcasting and entertainment; Penguin Random House carries on the company's origins in book publishing; BMG is its music division; Arvato provides services; and Bertelsmann Marketing Services, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments complete the portfolio, spanning marketing, education and venture activity.

Bertelsmann states that it champions personal initiative and creative thinking, and that employees have the opportunity to shape their own careers and create growth paths within the group. Its stated philosophy is that of empowering creative minds, and it describes itself as a home of creative entrepreneurs.