Friede Springer
GermanyBiography of Friede Springer
Friede Springer, the owner of Springer Holding, is a German publisher and the widow of Axel Springer. She was born Friede Riewerts into a Frisian gardener's family. She first entered the Springer's household in 1965 as a nanny. However, a romance soon blossomed between Axel and Friede. In 1978, Friede became Axel Springer's fifth and final wife.
After Axel Springer's death, Friede inherited his share in the publishing empire, along with his children and grandchildren from his previous marriage. At that time, Springer owned around 26.1% of the company's shares, while the rest was held by Bavarian entrepreneur Leo Kirch, the Burda family, and other minor investors.
Over time, Friede Springer became the manager of Axel Springer AG and later the executive manager of Springer Holding. She proved herself to be a skilled businesswoman, and under her leadership, Springer's heirs were able to regain a portion of the company's shares. In 1988, they bought out the Burda brothers' stake for 531 million Deutsche Marks, leaving the brothers at a significant loss compared to what they had paid for the shares five years earlier.
As the children and grandchildren of Friede's late husband began to unite against her, Friede managed to buy out their shares in time. In 2002, Friede Springer, who had become the de facto leader of the company, appointed Mathias Döpfner as the chairman. Under his guidance, the company successfully weathered the financial crisis and severed ties with Leo Kirch.
Currently, Friede Springer owns 7% of Springer AG's shares. Additionally, she holds 90% of the shares of Axel Springer Gesellschaft für Publizistik GmbH & Co., which, in turn, owns 51.5% of Axel Springer AG's shares. According to Forbes magazine, Friede Springer's net worth was around $3.2 million. In 2007, she ranked 26th on the list of the wealthiest individuals in Germany and 273rd on the list of the wealthiest people globally.
Friede Springer is known to be a close friend of Angela Merkel and is a member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany. She has received several prestigious awards, including the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
