Julia Jäkel

Jäkel has been appointed to the board of Adevinta [no] and Holtzbrinck Publishing Group in 2021.

In 2019, Jäkel became Chairwoman of the Board of the Bertelsmann Content Alliance, coordinating all content businesses of Bertelsmann in Germany. In 2021, Jäkel left both Gruner + Jahr and Bertelsmann.

In 1997, Jäkel completed the Bertelsmann Entrepreneurs Program and joined Gruner + Jahr, where she rose through the ranks. In 2012, Jäkel was appointed to the Executive Board, taking responsibility for the German business, and a few months later, she became chief executive officer of Gruner + Jahr. At the beginning of her term, she discontinued the Financial Times Deutschland of which she had been a member of the founding team for five years. She reorganized the portfolio, focusing on Germany and France. Jäkel led the digital transformation, promoted creativity and multiplied digital revenues. She broke up hierarchies and outdated management structures, and made the publisher more efficient.

Julia Jäkel (born November 13, 1971, in Mainz) is a German business executive and publisher. She serves as non-executive director of several companies. From 2012 to 2021, Jäkel was chief executive officer of Gruner + Jahr and a member of the Bertelsmann Group Management Committee. She also chaired the Bertelsmann Content Alliance since its inception. Jäkel is a widely known promoter of diverse leadership.