Johanna Quandt
Encyclopedia
Johanna Quandt is the German
widow of industrialist Herbert Quandt
, who resurrected BMW
from bankruptcy. As a result, she is the 14th richest person in Germany.
She was born Johanna Bruhn in 1926. She became a secretary in Herbert’s office in the 1950s and eventually became his personal assistant. She married Herbert in 1960. After Herbert’s death in 1982, she became a major shareholder in BMW, and sat on its supervisory board until she retired in 1997. She still owns 16.7% of BMW. The two children of her marriage, Stefan Quandt
and Susanne Klatten
, are also substantial shareholders in BMW and now sit on the supervisory board of BMW. Johanna lives quietly in Bad Homburg
. She supports child-cancer institutes and is a major donor to political parties.
A programme by the German public broadcaster, ARD
, in October 2007 described in detail the role of the Quandt family businesses during the Second World War. As a result, four family members announced, on behalf of the entire Quandt family, their intention to fund a research project in which a historian will examine the family’s activities during Hitler’s
dictatorship.
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...
widow of industrialist Herbert Quandt
Herbert Quandt
Herbert Werner Quandt , was a German industrialist who is regarded as having saved BMW when it was at the point of bankruptcy and made huge profit in doing so.- Early life :...
, who resurrected BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
from bankruptcy. As a result, she is the 14th richest person in Germany.
She was born Johanna Bruhn in 1926. She became a secretary in Herbert’s office in the 1950s and eventually became his personal assistant. She married Herbert in 1960. After Herbert’s death in 1982, she became a major shareholder in BMW, and sat on its supervisory board until she retired in 1997. She still owns 16.7% of BMW. The two children of her marriage, Stefan Quandt
Stefan Quandt
Stefan Quandt is a German engineer and industrialist. He is ranked as the 72nd richest person in the world in the Forbes list of billionaires, who put his personal wealth at $10.7 billion...
and Susanne Klatten
Susanne Klatten
Susanne Klatten is the daughter of Herbert and Johanna Quandt. As of 2011, she is worth $14.6 billion, and is the richest woman in Germany and the 44th richest person in the world....
, are also substantial shareholders in BMW and now sit on the supervisory board of BMW. Johanna lives quietly in Bad Homburg
Bad Homburg
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe is the district town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, Germany, on the southern slope of the Taunus, bordering among others Frankfurt am Main and Oberursel...
. She supports child-cancer institutes and is a major donor to political parties.
A programme by the German public broadcaster, ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
, in October 2007 described in detail the role of the Quandt family businesses during the Second World War. As a result, four family members announced, on behalf of the entire Quandt family, their intention to fund a research project in which a historian will examine the family’s activities during Hitler’s
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
dictatorship.
