75th birthday of Richard Oetker on January 4th, 2026

<Bielefeld, December 22, 2025> Richard Oetker, family entrepreneur and great-grandson of the company founder Dr. August Oetker, will turn 75 on January 4, 2026. Throughout his entrepreneurial activities, he continuously shaped the success of the Oetker Group. From 2010 to 2017, he headed the family-owned company as a personally liable partner of Dr. August Oetker KG and Chairman of the Executive Board of Dr. Oetker GmbH. During this period, he was responsible, among other things, for the acquisition of the German frozen bakery products manufacturer Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese. He subsequently took on further responsibilities as a member of the Advisory Board of Dr. August Oetker KG and as Chairman of the Advisory Boards of Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese, the Radeberger Group, the Martin Braun Group and Henkell Freixenet.

Born and raised in Bielefeld in 1951, Richard Oetker studied agricultural and brewing sciences at the Technical University of Munich. After earning his diploma as a brewmaster, he joined the family business as a trainee in 1980 and went on to work in several areas of the company. One of his personal milestones – in his role as Chairman of the Executive Board of Oetker International Ost GmbH – was the successful expansion into Eastern European markets starting in 1993.

Shaping our corporate culture

From 1996 to 2009, Richard Oetker was responsible for Human Resources and ongoing internanationalization as member of the Executive Board of Dr. Oetker. In this role, he demonstrated not only his entrepreneurial expertise but also a remarkable human touch that was felt everywhere and left a lasting impact. To this day, his influence continues to shape the family-oriented corporate culture and the collegial spirit across the 41 national companies, beyond borders.

Committed to Social Responsibility

Social responsibility has always played a central role for Richard Oetker, who has been retired since spring 2025. Since 2002, through his commitment to the victim support organization Weißer Ring e. V. – including his work as a member of the Federal Executive Board and as Chairman of the “Weißer Ring Foundation”, he has encouraged many people to seek help and not remain silent. For this dedication, the German Federal President awarded him the Federal Cross of Merit in July 2022. The Bielefeld native has also received several other honors: the Courage Award from Committee Courage Bad Iburg e. V. in 2008, the Order of Merit of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2011 and the honorary award of the German Sustainability Award in 2013.

Photo of Richard Oetker: © Dr. August Oetker KG

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