Dieter von Holtzbrinck is the eldest son of publisher Georg von Holtzbrinck, who founded the Holtzbrinck publishing group in the late 1940s. Dieter ran the publishing house for over 20 years. In 2009, he sold his shares and founded Dieter von Holtzbrinck Medien GmbH (DvH Medien), which acquired 50% of Zeitverlag as well as the Tagesspiegel and Handelsblatt. In 2019, he retired from the business and handed over the role of chairman of the supervisory board to Michael Grabner. Dieter's siblings also include Monika Schoeller and his half-brother Stefan von Holtzbrinck.