Top Executives Dominate German Media Coverage, Study Finds
A recent analysis by the consulting firm Keynote, reported by the German magazine Spiegel, reveals that a small group of top managers in Germany receive the majority of media attention. In fact, more than half of the articles in German publications focus on just 10 of the 90 CEOs of companies listed in the Dax and MDax indices.
The ranking, which is part of the “CEO Communication Monitor” shows that Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume tops the list, followed closely by Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius. The last 10 CEOs, on the other hand, garnered a mere 0.4% of the total media coverage.
The study analyzed 82,514 texts in 300 German-language print and online media outlets in 2024. Notably, Commerzbank CEO Bettina Orlopp is the only woman to feature in the top 10, ranking seventh.
The topics surrounding these CEOs in the media often focus on negative aspects, with the automotive industry’s decline in profits being a common theme.