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Peter Limbourg

Director General of Deutsche Welle

Peter Limbourg

GMF2021 | Speaker | Peter Limbourg

Peter Limbourg has been DW's Director General since 2013 and was reappointed for a second six-year term in 2018.

Since he took office, Limbourg has initiated a series of changes to better equip Germany’s international broadcaster for a digital global media landscape. This includes the ongoing digitization of DW's media content in thirty-two languages, with a determined shift to online and social media content. He has fostered innovation at DW through the implementation of lab development processes and other cross-departmental and multilingual journalistic projects, advocating for press freedom and gender equality in journalism. 

Under his leadership, DW Akademie has expanded its educational programs worldwide, becoming a leading source of media literacy expertise, aimed at enabling journalists and media consumers to discern objective reporting from propaganda across various media platforms. DW Akademie plays a key role in promoting media development through innovative and interdisciplinary approaches, operating in more than 70 countries globally and offering sustainably designed programs to advise governments, professional associations, press councils and media organizations on effective frameworks. 

Limbourg studied law in Bonn and later chose a career in journalism, serving as a correspondent in former East Germany, London, Bonn and Brussels. He was later appointed editor-in-chief of N24 (now WELT) and held the role of senior VP News & Political Information at ProSieben Sat.1 TV Germany. He also anchored SAT.1's main newscast for several years.