Johanna Quandt
Quandt in 2012
Born
Johanna Maria Bruhn

21 June 1926
Berlin, Germany
Died3 August 2015(2015-08-03) (aged 89)
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany
SpouseHerbert Quandt (m. 1960–82)
ChildrenStefan Quandt
Susanne Klatten

Johanna Maria Quandt (née Bruhn; 21 June 1926 – 3 August 2015) was a German billionaire businesswoman and the widow of Herbert Quandt, an industrialist and prominent Nazi.[1] When she died in 2015 she was the 8th richest person in Germany (and the richest German woman), the 77th richest person in the world, and the 11th richest woman worldwide according to Forbes.[2][3]

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.

The Silence of the Quandts

The documentary The Silence of the Quandts described the role of the Quandt family businesses during the Second World War. It disclosed information about the use of slave labourers in the family's factories during World War II. A later study funded by the Quandt family themselves concluded that "the Quandts were linked inseparably with the crimes of the Nazis".[4][5] As of 2008 no compensation, apology or memorial at the site of one of their factories, have been permitted. BMW was not implicated in the report.

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.[6] 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.[7]

As of August 2014, the Quandt family is estimated to be worth $46.3 billion.[8] Johanna Quandt died at the age of 89 in her home in Bad Homburg near Frankfurt am Main.[9]

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.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Silence of the Quandts: The history of a wealthy German family". World Socialist Web Site. 29 November 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Johanna Quandt". Forbes. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Ewing, Jack (7 August 2015). "Johanna Quandt, 89, a Force in the Family Behind BMW". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ "Scholtyseck, Joachim | Der Aufstieg der Quandts". www.chbeck.de (in German). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "BMW dynasty breaks silence on its Nazi past". The Independent. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "BMW billionaire heiress Johanna Quandt dies". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Description of the 2007 ARD programme, Der Spiegel; accessed 7 August 2015. (in German)
  8. ↑ The World's Billionaires: Germany. forbes.com, retrieved 5 August 2015
  9. ↑ Johanna Quandt, Billionaire Matriarch of BMW Clan, Dies at 89. forbes.com, retrieved 5 August 2015
  10. ↑ Zeitung, Süddeutsche. "BMW-Erbin Johanna Quandt ist tot". Süddeutsche.de.
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