Michael Ringier

Born in Zofingen, his parents are Hans and Eva Ringier (born Landolt). Ringier attended the University of St. Gallen from 1970 to 1972. In 1973, he began to work as a journalist for the Münchner Abendzeitung. After attending courses at a journalism school and editorial stations in his family's media company, Ringier completed a trainee program at Heinrich Bauer Verlag in Hamburg in 1976/77. He then worked for the business editorial staff of the Stern and conceived (also for Gruner + Jahr) the magazin impulse. In the Cologne editorial department, he headed the department of "Business Administration and Business" from 1980 onwards.[1]

Ringier is married to the law graduate Ellen Ringier (born Lüthy) and has two adopted daughters. Ringier is considered a proven art collector[2][3] with a collection of more than 4,000 works of contemporary art[4] and lives in a modern villa on Lake Zurich. He likes to spend his holidays in his holiday home in Engadin. Ringier likes to jog and is a passionate tennis and golf player.[5]

In 1983, he returned to Switzerland, where he took over the responsibility for New Media and the German market in the Ringier AG. In 1985, Michael Ringier was CEO of Ringier AG. In 1991, as Chairman of the Board of Directors, he took over sole responsibility for the company. In 1997, he resigned as Chairman of the Board and took over the operational leadership of Ringier AG, as delegate of the board of directors. He also took over publishing management of the publisher. In 2003, Ringier became Chairman of Ringier Holding AG.[1]

In January 2018, Ringier announced at the Group Executive Board meeting that Marc Walder had become an equity partner holding a stake of 10%.[6]

• Swiss Institute Contemporary Art New York, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2016)[7]

In November 2017, Ringier’s name appeared in press reports in connection with payments made in 2015 and 2016 to Beatrix Ruf, the then artistic director of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, which lead to her resignation. Ringier, a former employer of Ruf, confirmed paying a departing “thank you gift” in installments over 2015 and 2016 for her successfully increasing the value of his personal collection.[8][9]

In January 2022, Michael Ringier dealt with accusations, arising out of Ringier’s CEO Marc Walder’s statements at a board meeting the previous year, of allegedly pro-government Covid coverage which escalated to allegations that journalism at Ringier was “carried out according to instructions,” marking them as “an absolutely malicious defamation of the daily work of many competent and extremely serious journalists at Ringier.”[10]

• Michael Ringier Biography, in the Munzinger-Archiv
• Ringen um Ringier, Über die Kunst der Digitalisierung in einem Schweizer Medienkonzern, René Lüchinger, Steidl, Göttingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-95829-588-9

• Michael Ringier on the website from Ringier
• In der digitalen Welt stochern wir alle im Nebel. Article in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung from 9 May 2008
• Michael Ringier. Interview
• Aargauer Zeitung: Michael Ringier: "Der Internet-Super-Gau wird kommen" (Interview from 20 April 2015)