Hamburg
Michael Beckel joined in 2003 from Transatlantic Ventures AG, a privately financed private equity firm which he had founded. He previously spent nine years with Gruner+Jahr, part of the Bertelsmann Media Group, where he became COO/CFO of the Stern Magazine Group. Before this, he worked for the OTTO Versand mail order company in marketing and later as head of advertising. He holds a degree in economics and business administration from the University of Münster and participated in the Programme for Management Development at Harvard University in 1988. He speaks German and English.