Oetker family

The Oetker family runs food, beverage, financial services and hotel conglomerate Dr. Oetker. The business began in 1891 when pharmacist August Oetker began selling non-perishable baking powder and easy-make cake mixes.
Rudolf August Oetker, grandson of the company’s founder, took over as head of the business in 1944, a position he maintained until 1981. Representing the family’s fourth generation of leaders, Rudolf’s son, August Oetker, headed the company until 2010 when he became Chairman of the Advisory Board. August’s brother, Richard Oetker, became the company’s CEO in 2010 and retired in 2017. Richard’s brother, Alfred, also sits on the advisory board. Their brother, Carl Ferdinand Oetker, is an investment banker with Oetker-owned Bankhaus Lampe. Julia Oetker, the youngest of Rudolf August’s children, is married to the Italian count José Antonio Sigurtà.
When Rudolf August Oetker died in 2014, his eight children inherited an equal 12.5 per cent stake in the company, making each of them billionaires.