Mathias Döpfner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (September 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Mathias Döpfner, born January 15, 1963, is chief executive of German media group Axel Springer AG.

Born in Bonn, Döpfner began his career in 1982 as music critic for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung supplement, later working as correspondent for the paper in Brussels. He joined publishers Gruner + Jahr in 1992, firstly as assistant to board member Axel Ganz, and later to chief executive Gerd Schulte-Hillen.

In April 1994, Döpfner became editor-in-chief at the Berlin weekend paper, the Wochenpost. He became editor-in-chief of the Hamburger Morgenpost Hamburg daily in 1996. In March 1998 he became editor-in-chief of the national daily Die Welt, owned by Axel Springer.

Since 2006 Döpfner has been an advisory board member at U.S. media group Time Warner, the corporate sponsor of HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher," featuring controversial host Bill Maher. He is also on the advisory boards of German media conglomerate ProSiebenSat.1 Media and the Deutsche Presse-Agentur German press agency.

Döpfner and his wife Ulrike live in Potsdam. Ulrike, born Ulrike Weiß, is the daughter of former Deutsche Bank executive Ulrich Weiß.