Jonas Bonnier grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. After completing his studies at Uppsala University, he worked as a language teacher at a junior high school while he wrote his debut novel. He made his debut as an author in 1988 (and has since published seven novels), and he became the editor of Bonnier's Book Club the following year.

For the next three years, he worked in the family business's book operations, and after that he returned to work as a writer, writing novels, film scripts and television scripts during the mid-1990s, while at the same time working as a columnist for several Swedish newspapers.

After launching the Internet company Bonnier Online in 1995, Jonas Bonnier started working at the Bonnier Magazine Group in 1996. For the past three years, Jonas Bonnier has worked as executive vice president of Bonnier AB, a role that also involves work on newspapers, film, television, books and Internet media, and he has simultaneously continued his assignment as president/chairman of the Magazine Group.

In 2007, Jonas took on additional duties as the head of Bonnier Corporation, the new U.S. media company formed when the Bonnier Group combined its U.S. magazine partner, World Publications, with the purchase of Time Inc.'s Parenting Group and Time4 Media titles.  Jonas is the chairman of Bonnier Corp.

In 2008, Jonas was named to lead the entire Bonnier company worldwide. In addition to his duties of chairman of Bonnier Corp. in the U.S., he is now CEO of Bonnier Group.