of trustees, until Gunter Thielen succeeded him in both positions in mid-2001. With this step, Reinhard Mohn gave up all previous management functions, remaining only a member of the board of trustees. succeeded Gunter Thielen in 2002 and continued to lead the Bertelsmann Stiftung until 2005. During his tenure, the executive committee became an executive board once again; the goal was to strengthen corporate governance by promoting greater transparency and independence. After Meffert left the foundation, it was jointly led by board chairs Liz Mohn and Johannes Meier. In 2008, Gunter Thielen returned to the Bertelsmann Stiftung as chairman of the executive board. Since 2012, the foundation has been led by Aart De Geus, former Dutch minister of labor and social affairs. Following his retirement at the end of 2019, Ralph Heck took over as chairman of the executive board in mid-2020. Organization The Bertelsmann Stiftung is an independent foundation under private law, according to the laws governing foundations in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an unrestricted legal entity, which, internally and externally, must exclusively pursue the mission defined in its bylaws. The Bertelsmann Stiftung is overseen by the district government of Detmold and engages in tax-privileged activities exclusively and directly in accordance with the relevant tax regulations. Boards The Bertelsmann Stiftung's managerial and representative bodies report to the executive Board, which, according to the foundation's bylaws, consists of at least three members who are appointed and removed by the board of trustees. The executive board develops the Bertelsmann Stiftung's organizational strategy, coordinates it with the board of trustees and oversees its implementation. Members of the executive board who are also members of the executive board of Bertelsmann Management SE can only represent the foundation in collaboration with a second board member who does not belong to the executive board of Bertelsmann Management SE, which is the Bertelsmann Group's management unit. At present, the Bertelsmann Stiftung executive board consists of Ralph Heck (chairman) and Brigitte Mohn. The executive board is advised and supervised by the Bertelsmann Stiftung board of trustees. This is involved in all decisions of fundamental importance. Its tasks also include approving the annual financial statements, overseeing the foundation's business management and formally accepting and approving the executive board's statement of activities. According to the bylaws, the board of trustees has at least six and a maximum of 14 members. These include the chairman or another