Reinhold Würth

Reinhold Würth
Würth in 2020
Reinhold Würth
Born	20 4, 1935
Birthplace	Öhringen, Württemberg, Germany
Nationality	German
Occupation	Businessman, art collector
Title	Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Adolf Würth Group
Known for	Building the Würth Group into a global industrial enterprise; Würth art collection
Children	3, including Bettina Würth
Awards	Multiple honorary doctorates (Prof. Dr. h. c. mult.)
Website	[https://www.wuerth.com Official site]

Reinhold Würth (born 20 April 1935) is a German businessman and art collector who transformed a small wholesale screw business founded by his father into the Würth Group, one of the world's largest distributors of assembly and fastening materials. Under his leadership, the company grew from a modest two-person operation in Künzelsau, Baden-Württemberg, into a multinational enterprise with sales of €19.9 billion in 2022. Würth began working in the family business at the age of 14, and on 1 October 2024 celebrated 75 years of continuous service to the company. Beyond his business achievements, Würth has assembled one of Germany's most significant private art collections, comprising over 18,300 works as of 2021, with a focus on art from the late 19th century to the present day. He holds the title Professor Doctor honoris causa multiplex (Prof. Dr. h. c. mult.), reflecting multiple honorary doctorates conferred upon him over his career.

Early Life

Reinhold Würth was born on 20 April 1935 in Öhringen, a town in the historical region of Württemberg in southwestern Germany. His father, Adolf Würth, was an entrepreneur who on 16 July 1945 — just months after the end of World War II — opened the doors to a small wholesaling business dealing in screws and bolts in the town of Künzelsau. This modest enterprise, which Adolf Würth ran largely on his own, would become the foundation of one of Germany's most consequential industrial companies.

Reinhold Würth's childhood was shaped by the aftermath of the war and the broader context of post-war reconstruction in Germany. The business his father established was part of the wave of small commercial enterprises that contributed to the Wirtschaftswunder — the economic recovery of West Germany in the late 1940s and 1950s. At the age of 14, Reinhold entered the family business as an apprentice on 1 October 1949, beginning a career that would span more than seven decades. He learned the trade from his father, acquiring practical knowledge of the fastening and assembly materials industry from the ground up.

The early death of Adolf Würth in 1954 thrust the young Reinhold into a position of significant responsibility. At just 19 years of age, he assumed control of the wholesale screw business, which at that time employed only two people and generated modest revenues. This moment marked the beginning of a decades-long transformation that would see the small Künzelsau enterprise grow into a global corporation.

Career

Building the Würth Group

Upon taking over the family business in 1954, Reinhold Würth set about expanding the company's operations. The business, initially focused on the wholesale distribution of screws and bolts, was positioned in an industry segment that was growing rapidly in the context of Germany's post-war industrial reconstruction. Würth recognized early on the potential for growth through direct sales and a close relationship with craftsmen and industrial customers.

Under his leadership, the company evolved from a small regional wholesaler into a diversified global enterprise. The Würth Group expanded its product range beyond screws and bolts to encompass a broad array of assembly and fastening materials, tools, and related products serving the automotive, construction, and industrial sectors. The company also pursued an aggressive strategy of international expansion, establishing subsidiaries and distribution networks in markets across Europe and eventually worldwide.

By the time Würth celebrated his 75th work anniversary on 1 October 2024, the company he had built had grown into a multinational group posting annual sales of €19.9 billion as of 2022. The celebration of this milestone was held at the company and attended by colleagues and associates who had witnessed the company's growth over the decades.

Corporate Governance and Succession

Throughout his career, Würth held various leadership positions within the Würth Group. He served as chairman of the supervisory board of the Adolf Würth Group, a role through which he continued to exercise oversight and strategic guidance for the company long after stepping back from day-to-day management.

In December 2024, the Würth Group announced a next-generation succession plan. At the age of 89, Reinhold Würth — described in the company's announcement as "the prominent leader of the Würth Group for decades" — participated in the structuring of a transition designed to ensure continuity of leadership within the family enterprise. His daughter Bettina Würth has been closely associated with the company's governance structures and is among the next generation of family members involved in the business.

The succession planning reflected the broader challenge faced by many large family-owned German enterprises (Mittelstand) in transitioning leadership across generations while maintaining the corporate culture and strategic direction established by their founders.

Business Philosophy and Approach

Reinhold Würth's approach to business was characterized by a focus on direct sales, customer service, and a decentralized organizational structure. The Würth Group's model relied heavily on a large salesforce that maintained direct relationships with craftsmen, workshops, and industrial operations — an approach that differentiated the company from competitors relying on traditional retail distribution. This direct-sales model became a hallmark of the Würth business strategy and was replicated as the company expanded internationally.

The company maintained its headquarters in Künzelsau, the small town in Baden-Württemberg where Adolf Würth had first established the business. The decision to keep the corporate base in a relatively small community, rather than relocating to a major commercial centre, was consistent with the tradition of many German family-owned industrial firms that maintain strong ties to their places of origin.

Art Collection

Origins and Growth

Beginning in the 1960s, Reinhold Würth developed an interest in art collecting that would eventually produce one of the most significant private collections in Germany. The collection grew steadily over several decades, and as of 2021 contained over 18,300 works of art.

The Würth Collection specializes in art created from the late 19th century to the present day, encompassing paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and other media. The collection's scope reflects Würth's sustained engagement with modern and contemporary art over more than half a century of collecting activity.

Museums and Exhibitions

The Würth Collection is housed in and exhibited through a network of museums and exhibition spaces associated with the Würth Group. These venues serve as public-facing institutions that make the collection accessible to a broad audience.

Among the notable exhibition activities is the Museum Würth 2, which in April 2025 presented a large solo exhibition on the German Expressionist painter Emil Nolde. The exhibition featured a total of 146 paintings, watercolors, prints, and folkloristic objects and exotica, organized in cooperation with the Nolde Stiftung Seebüll. The scale and ambition of such exhibitions demonstrate the institutional character that the Würth art program has achieved, functioning not merely as a private collection but as a cultural institution capable of organizing major loan exhibitions with leading foundations and museums.

The integration of art collecting with the corporate enterprise has been a distinctive feature of the Würth Group. The display of artworks at company facilities and the establishment of dedicated museum spaces reflect Würth's conviction that art serves a purpose within the context of a business organization, contributing to the working environment and the cultural identity of the company.

Personal Life

Reinhold Würth is married and has three children. Among his children is Bettina Würth, who has been involved in the governance of the Würth Group. His eldest daughter, Marion Würth, died unexpectedly in October 2025 at the age of 66; her death was confirmed by the family business.

Würth has maintained a long association with Künzelsau, the seat of the Würth Group, where he has lived for much of his life. His personal life has remained relatively private by the standards of major European industrialists, though his prominence as one of the wealthiest individuals in Germany has inevitably attracted public attention.

On 20 April 2025, Würth celebrated his 90th birthday, an occasion that was noted by the company and in the German and international media.

In 2025, it was reported that a deepfake video featuring Würth had been circulated online, falsely depicting him as endorsing a dubious financial investment scheme. The incident was an example of the broader phenomenon of artificial intelligence-generated fraud targeting prominent public figures.

Recognition

Reinhold Würth has received numerous honors and awards over the course of his career, reflecting his contributions to German industry and culture. He holds the title Prof. Dr. h. c. mult. (Professor Doctor honoris causa multiplex), indicating that he has been awarded multiple honorary doctorates from various institutions.

His profile in the Deutsche Biographie — the authoritative biographical reference work for German-speaking figures — reflects his established place in the record of notable German entrepreneurs. He is also listed in the Gemeinsame Normdatei (GND), the integrated authority file used by German libraries and cultural institutions.

Würth's contributions as an art collector have also been recognized. The scale and quality of the Würth Collection, and the public accessibility provided through the company's museum network, have established him as one of Germany's foremost private patrons of the arts. The collection is registered with major international art databases, including the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD) in the Netherlands.

The Forbes billionaires list has tracked Würth's wealth for decades. As of November 2024, Forbes estimated his net worth at $33.6 billion, ranking him as the world's 45th-richest person. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index has also tracked his wealth. As early as 2004, Würth appeared on the Forbes list of the world's wealthiest individuals.

Legacy

Reinhold Würth's legacy is defined by two principal achievements: the creation of a global industrial enterprise from a small post-war wholesale business, and the assembly of a major private art collection made accessible to the public.

The Würth Group's growth from a two-person operation in 1954 to a multinational corporation with nearly €20 billion in annual sales represents one of the most notable entrepreneurial success stories in post-war German industry. The company's direct-sales model and its focus on fastening and assembly materials established a business paradigm that influenced the broader distribution industry. The company's headquarters remaining in Künzelsau, rather than in a major metropolitan centre, exemplified the Mittelstand tradition of family-owned enterprises maintaining deep roots in their local communities while competing on a global scale.

The succession planning announced in December 2024, with Würth at the age of 89 actively involved in structuring the transition to the next generation, underscored both the personal nature of his leadership and his concern for the long-term continuity of the enterprise.

As an art collector, Würth's contribution extends beyond the private enjoyment of art to the creation of institutional infrastructure — museums and exhibition spaces — that function as cultural resources for the public. The Würth Collection's focus on modern and contemporary art, and its ongoing exhibition program including major loan exhibitions such as the 2025 Emil Nolde retrospective, ensure that the collection continues to play an active role in the cultural landscape.

The combination of industrial entrepreneurship and cultural patronage has placed Würth in a tradition of German industrialists — from the Krupp family to Peter Ludwig — who have used private wealth to support the arts. Würth's particular contribution has been the integration of art collecting into the fabric of a corporate enterprise, making the collection an expression of the company's identity as much as of its founder's personal taste.

His 75th work anniversary, celebrated on 1 October 2024, served as a marker of the extraordinary duration of his active engagement with the business he inherited and transformed.