Rainer Zitelmann

RAINER ZITELMANN was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1957. He studied history and political science from 1978 to 1983 and graduated with distinction. In 1986, he was awarded the title Dr. Phil for his thesis Hitler. Selbstverständnis eines Revolutionärs (English: Hitler’s National Socialism) under the mentorship of Professor Freiherr von Aretin. The study, which was awarded the grade “summa cum laude,” received worldwide attention and recognition.

From 1987 to 1992, Zitelmann worked at the Central Institute for Social Science Research at the Free University of Berlin. He then became editor-in-chief of Ullstein-Propyläen publishing house, at that time Germany’s third-largest book publishing group and headed various departments of the leading German daily newspaper Die Welt. In 2000, he set up his own business, Dr. ZitelmannPB, GmbH, which has since become the market leader for positioning consulting for real estate companies in Germany. He sold the business in 2016.

In 2016, Zitelmann was awarded his second doctorate, this time in sociology, with his thesis on the psychology of the super-rich, under the mentorship of Professor Wolfgang Lauterbach at the University of Potsdam. His second doctoral dissertation was published in English as The Wealth Elite, as well as being published in China, South Korea and Vietnam.

Zitelmann has written and edited a total of 27 books, which have enjoyed substantial success in 30 languages around the world. He is a much sought-after guest speaker in Asia, the United States, South America and Europe. Over the last few years, he has written articles and given interviews to many of the world’s leading media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The Times, Forbes, Newsweek, Le Monde, Le Point, Corriere de la Serra, Il Giornale, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Welt, Der Spiegel, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, The Daily Telegraph, and numerous media in Asia and Latinamerica.

Detailed information about the life of Rainer Zitelmann can be found at rainer-zitelmann.com.