Johanna Quandt

Johanna Maria Quandt (née Bruhn; 21 June 1926 – 3 August 2015) was a business woman and the widow of German industrialist Herbert Quandt, who resurrected BMW from bankruptcy. When she died in 2015 she was the 8th richest person in Germany (and the richest German woman), 77th richest person in the world, and the 11th richest woman worldwide according to Forbes.[2][3]

Johanna Quandt
Johanna Quandt, Berlin, 2012
Born
Johanna Maria Bruhn

21 June 1926
Berlin, Germany
Died3 August 2015(2015-08-03) (aged 89)
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany
NationalityGerman
Net worthUS$13.9 billion (August 2015)[1]
Spouse(s)Herbert Quandt (m. 1960-82)
ChildrenStefan Quandt
Susanne Klatten

Career at BMW

Johanna Bruhn became a secretary in her future husband's office in the 1950s and eventually became his personal assistant. The two married in 1960. After his death in 1982, she was a major shareholder in BMW and sat on its supervisory board from 1982 until she retired in 1997. Much of that time she served as deputy chairwoman of the board.[3] She owned 16.7% of BMW at the time of her death.

Personal life

The two children of her marriage, Stefan and Susanne, are also substantial shareholders in BMW and now sit on the supervisory board of the company. Police prevented an attempt to kidnap her and her daughter Susanne Klatten in 1978.[4] Johanna lived quietly in Bad Homburg.

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.[5]

As of August 2014, the Quandt family is estimated to be worth $46.3 billion.[6] Johanna Quandt died at the age of 89 in her home in Bad Homburg near Frankfurt am Main.[7]

She created the foundation Johanna Quandt Stiftung, to provide training for aspiring business journalists. The foundation also provides prizes for outstanding business journalism.[3] In 2009 she was awarded the Grand Cross of Merit.[8]

See also

References
  1. #77 Johanna Quandt. forbes.com; retrieved 5 August 2015
  2. "Johanna Quandt". Forbes. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  3. Ewing, Jack (7 August 2015). "Johanna Quandt, 89, a Force in the Family Behind BMW". The New York Times.
  4. "BMW billionaire heiress Johanna Quandt dies". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  5. Description of the 2007 ARD programme, Der Spiegel; accessed 7 August 2015. (in German)
  6. The World's Billionaires: Germany. forbes.com, retrieved 5 August 2015
  7. Johanna Quandt, Billionaire Matriarch of BMW Clan, Dies at 89. forbes.com, retrieved 5 August 2015
  8. Zum Tod von Johanna Quandt - Unternehmerin mit "Begeisterung und Leidenschaft"
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