Nadia Thiele
German heir to the Knorr-Bremse industrialist Heinz Hermann Thiele
| Nadia Thiele
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 January 1976 (Knorr-Bremse filing; Forbes) |
| Nationality | German |
| Residence | Munich (Forbes) |
| Occupation | Heir and investor |
| Known for | Widow and heir of Heinz Hermann Thiele (Knorr-Bremse, Vossloh) |
| Spouse(s) | Heinz Hermann Thiele (died 2021) |
Nadia Thiele (born 7 January 1976) is the widow and heir of the German industrialist Heinz Hermann Thiele, who controlled the brake-system maker Knorr-Bremse. He died in February 2021, aged 79.[1][2] Under the terms of his will, the controlling stakes in Knorr-Bremse and Vossloh passed in December 2024 from his estate to the Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation.[2] On 11 November 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Thiele 359th in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$9.9 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as investments.[1][3] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Thiele 260th, at US$11.9 billion.[4]
Inheritance
Forbes says Heinz Hermann Thiele took control of Knorr-Bremse in the mid-1980s, became its honorary chairman in 2016 and took it public in 2018. When he died he also owned half of the railway equipment maker Vossloh and 12.4% of Lufthansa.[1]
In a voting-rights notice published on 25 March 2021, Knorr-Bremse reported that Nadia Thiele had crossed the disclosure threshold on 23 February 2021, giving inheritance as the reason. The notice attributed 58.99% of Knorr-Bremse's voting rights to her, held through Stella Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH, TIB Vermögens- und Beteiligungsholding GmbH and KB Holding GmbH.[5]
Family foundation
On 12 December 2024 the law firm Hengeler Mueller, which advised Nadia Thiele, announced that the Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation had received shares from the estate. In line with his will, the foundation now controls 58.99% of Knorr-Bremse's voting rights and 50.09% of Vossloh's. The transfer was made under an agreement between Nadia Thiele, as widow and heir, and Robin Brühmüller, the executor of the will, to fulfil a legacy.[2] Forbes continues to list the family fortune under her name.[1]
Charity
Forbes says she and her stepdaughter, Julia Thiele-Schuerhoff, sit on the executive board of Knorr-Bremse Global Care, the company's affiliated charity.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 5 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2022. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list.[4][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1238 | 2.5 |
| 2023 | 383 | 6.6 |
| 2024 | 385 | 7.1 |
| 2025 | 311 | 9.2 |
| 2026 | 260 | 11.9 |
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
Thiele is a German citizen living in Munich.[1]
Other international links
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Nadia Thiele (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/nadia-thiele/) Forbes, live record, read 11 November 2026, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hengeler Mueller, Hengeler Mueller advises Nadia Thiele on the transfer of majority stakes in Knorr-Bremse and Vossloh to Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation Hengeler Mueller News, 12 December 2024, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 11 November 2026 16:19 UTC, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Knorr-Bremse AG (via DGAP), Knorr-Bremse AG: Release according to Article 40, Section 1 of the WpHG (voting rights notification; reason: inheritance) Knorr-Bremse Investor Relations, 25 March 2021, accessed 11 November 2026.