The Holtzbrinck Publishing Group is a German holding company with broad interests in science and education publishing. The group owns more than 400 companies and is a majority owner of Springer Nature, the publisher of Scientific American and Nature. ^{1 2}

The Holtzbrinck Publishing Group has said it values the critical race theory-influenced concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

History and Leadership

Georg von Holtzbrinck founded the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group in 1971 by combining various family activities including book-club businesses, subscription-based books and periodical models, and book and newspaper publishing companies. In the mid-1980s, the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group expanded its international focus on science, education, and technology publications when it acquired Scientific American. The group ceased its book club activities in the late 1980s and began its online business in 1998. ³

In 2011, the group divested all its newspaper holdings except German paper Die Zeit as it expanded its focus on science-focused publications. In 2012, the group re-structured to form three divisions addressing Science and Education, Publishing, and Digital Investments. In 2015, the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group formed a joint venture with Springer Science+Business Media, combining two of the market’s most influential professional academic and consumer book publishing houses. ⁴

Stefan von Holtzbrinck is the chief executive officer of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. ⁵

Activities

The Holtzbrinck Publishing Group is a German holding company with broad interests in publishing. Its holdings are focused on science, education, and reading-focused brands, with a focus on growing their reach in the digital space. ⁶ The Holtzbrinck Publishing Group is one of Germany’s leading publishers, claiming weekly readership of more than 2 million and an online presence of more than 13 million unique users. ⁷

As of 2024, the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group has 14,000 employees and 400 companies with a presence in more than 100 countries. ⁸  The Holtzbrinck Publishing Group owns a majority of Springer Nature, a German-British company that publishes Scientific American and Nature. ⁹ Its management board oversees Springer Nature. ¹⁰

Holtzbrinck Publishing Group also has broad interests in educational course systems and consumer books through Macmillan Learning and Macmillan Publishers, and technology through Digital Science. Its brand holdings include Macmillan Learning, St. Martin’s Press, Pan Macmillan, Springer Nature, ZEIT Group, Scientific American, the Nature Publishing Group, and stakes in various fund activities (GSV, Founders Factory, and Rethink Education) and startups. ¹¹

Political Ideology

Holtzbrinck Publishing Group has said that it values the critical race theory-influenced concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Holtzbrinck Publishing Group has stated that its companies, including Springer Nature, Macmillan, and Pan Macmillan, promote equal opportunity and inclusion and exchange ideas through national and international work groups. ¹² It has also said that far-left concepts of unconscious bias and diversity and inclusion are “integral parts” of its leadership training. ¹³

Holtzbrinck Publishing Group is a partner of the World Economic Forum. ¹⁴

Funding

The Holtzbrinck Publishing Group is a for-profit company. In 2022, the company reported sales of €1.7 billion ($1.85 billion), with a combined sales figure of €3.8 billion ($4.14 billion) including its subsidiary, Springer Nature. The Holtzbrinck Publishing Group holds assets of €3.5 billion ($3.81 billion). It acquires 60 percent of its funding from science and education-related materials and 40 percent of its revenue from newspaper and consumer books. Thirty-seven percent of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group’s revenue comes from the United States. ¹⁵

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13. “Our Values.” Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. Accessed March 13, 2024. https://holtzbrinck-careers.com/en/our-values/diversity.html.
14. “Our Partners.” World Economic Forum. Accessed March 13, 2024. https://www.weforum.org/partners/#H.
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