Hubert Burda

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Hubert Burda, (born February 9, 1940 in Heidelberg) is a German art historian and publisher. Hubert Burda is CEO and owner of Hubert Burda Media, publishing more than 250 magazines inside and outside Germany (including Focus and Bunte)

He is the youngest of the three sons of Franz and Aenne Burda and is married to Maria Furtwängler.

Burda studied History of Art and Sociology at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich [1].

He is President of the Association of German Magazine Publishers (VDZ) and cofounder of the European Publishers Council (EPC) as well as Council Member of the World Economic Forum (WEF). His commitment to cultural endeavours includes the Hermann Lenz Award for German lyrics, formerly the Petrarca Prize, which was first awarded in 1975.

He is chairman of the Council of the Munich Ludwig-Maximilians-University, and founded the Hubert Burda Centre for Innovative Communications at the Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva, Israel.

The Academy for the Third Millennium, which was created by Dr. Burda, sponsors an exchange of knowledge on futuristic trends. The Academy initiated the Iconic Turn lecture series, devoted to examining how images - photography, mass media and computer technology - impacts on culture, society and science.

In 2001, in memory of his late son, Burda established the Felix Burda Foundation dedicated to the early detection and prevention of colon cancer.

Through his active involvement in Partners in Tolerance, Hubert Burda supports Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation. In October 1999 he received the Interfaith Gold Medallion from the International Council of Christians and Jews for his services to German-Jewish reconciliation. In 2005, together with German publishing houses, he initiated the project Paten für Toleranz to support the Jewish Centre Jakobsplatz in Munich.

Dr. Burda has been awarded numerous awards and distinctions for his achievements in publishing and business, including the European Print Media Prize and the Gold Medal Freedom of Speech of the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA). In 2002 the title of Honorary Professor was bestowed on him by the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg and he received the Great Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2006 the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland ("Central Council of Jews in Germany") has awarded Burda its Leo Baeck Prize.