Career
When she died in 2015 she was the 8th richest person in Germany (and the richest German woman), 77th richest person in the world, and the 11th richest woman worldwide according to Forbes. Johanna Bruhn became a secretary in her future husband"s office in the 1950s and eventually became his personal assistant. The two married in 1960.
After his death in 1982, she was a major shareholder in Bayerische Motoren Werke and sat on its supervisory board from 1982 until she retired in 1997.
Much of that time she served as deputy chairwoman of the board. She owned 16.7% of Bayerische Motoren Werke at the time of her death.