Pioneer and benefactor, but also controversial: The life of Dietrich Mateschitz Proceeds up to 800,000 francs: Note from Charles Darwin up for auction

Dietrich Mateschitz died of a serious illness at the age of 78. His health has long been rumored. However, little is known about his private life and interviews were a rarity. A no-go for him were appearances on the red carpet. But the entrepreneur liked to show himself on the football field, and even more so on the Formula 1 circuit. Often by his side: his life partner Marion Feichtner.

For years he was the richest person in Austria and would have had a wealth of 24.9 billion euros (as of July 2022). But in his appearance he was less conspicuous. Jeans, a lightly unbuttoned plaid shirt with short sleeves, a leather jacket, often slung casually over the shoulders, and always a three-day beard. But maybe he wasn’t as grounded as he seemed. As the Austrian “Kurier” reported in 2013, “Didi”, as Mateschitz was called, relied on exclusive and expensive hobbies.

Sober attitude, expensive hobbies

According to the newspaper, he owned a South Sea island called Laucala in Fiji. Anyone who has the necessary money can enjoy a holiday there. There are 25 luxury villas, prices are on request only. But according to the report ‘Kurier’, such a night cost 15,000 euros – in 2013, mind you. Not the only luxury homes that Mateschitz offered for overnight stays. In Austria there is a whole collection of beautifully made hotels, private villas and restaurants that belong to Mateschitz’ gastro and hotel group Tauroa.

Buying real estate can probably be counted among his passions. It was only this year that he bought the Maria-Theresien-Schlössl in Salzburg from the Swarovski crystal family. Cost: ten million euros. And yes, Mateschitz himself lived in a luxurious villa. This residential building in the prosperous Nonntal district of Salzburg has an area of ​​900 square meters.

In addition, Mateschitz owned an estate in Maria Alm in the Salzburg region. Another expensive hobby of Mateschitz was airplanes. He exhibited some at the Red Bull venue, Hangar-7 in Salzburg.

“To make sure I don’t miss anything”

A few years ago, Mateschitz explained to Bloomberg Businessweek why he rarely posed on the red carpet or participated in social events: “When I go out, it’s just to convince myself that I’m actually not missing anything.” And if he was going to show himself anywhere, it would be with his girlfriend Marion Feichnter, with whom he had been in a relationship since 2009. She is a travel specialist, little else is known about her.

What is known is that Mateschitz has a son: Mark, who is now 29 years old. His mother is Anita Gerhardter, a former ski instructor and flight attendant and now the head of Mateschitz’s private foundation Wings for Life, which supports the healing of spinal cord injuries. Mateschitz and Gerhardter had a relationship for two years. The entrepreneur once described himself as “too immature” for a wedding.

The son grew up with his mother and joined the board of the foundation in early 2022. As the Austrian site “leadersnet.at” reports, father and son had an “extremely good” relationship with each other. Mark Gerhardter has also been director of the company Thalheimer Heilwasser GmbH, which belongs to the Red Bull empire, for four years. He has also owned 34 percent of his father’s real estate business since 2021. In general, in recent years he has taken on more and more duties in the family empire.

“After completing his education, my son will join the company if he wants to and when the time is right,” Mateschitz told “balance sheet.ch” many years ago. But it was clear to him: “He should have the right to be a footballer, rock singer, ballet dancer or whatever. There is no compulsion for him to run the Red Bull company. One thing is certain: you can only be good at your job if you enjoy what you do.”

It seems like he wants to travel the world to get to know the whole company. Public appearances of the “young bull”? Also very rare! But they do exist – in Formula 1 racing.

Time for the energy drink

Dietrich Mateschitz changed the sporting world with his Red Bull empire and redefined marketing. He was born on May 20, 1944 in St. Marein in Styria and had a sister who was four years older than him: Helgard. His parents divorced early, so his mother raised him alone.

Before landing the coup of his life with the energy drink, the Austrian studied at the Vienna University of Applied Sciences and graduated with a degree in business administration – it took him ten years to graduate. He had a great interest in architecture, but chose a job in marketing – initially at Unilever, Jacobs and toothpaste manufacturer Blendax.

He eventually founded Red Bull GmbH with the Thai entrepreneurial family Yoovidhya in 1984 and launched the drink of the same name in 1987. Red Bull has long been more than that, Mateschitz made the brand an integral part of the sporting world. With success: as can be seen from Formula 1 and football competitions.

He was also criticized

Mateschitz’s sports and real estate empire included a media empire that owned the controversial broadcaster Servus TV. During the Corona pandemic, Austria’s most-watched private broadcaster was repeatedly accused of spreading false Corona claims and content of conspiracy theories and reporting that was generally unbalanced.

Furthermore, neither Mateschitz himself nor the Red Bull brand were free from criticism. For example, “Der Spiegel” once made an article about the people who practice risky sports under the Red Bull label and died in the process. The ARD released a report titled ‘The dark side of Red Bull’. (t-online, mbo)