Daimler supervisory board chairman Manfred Bischoff (73) wants to rejuvenate the board of the carmaker and appeal to a younger line of members, Manager Magazin reports in its latest issue. Ola Kallenius fits the bill just nicely.
The contract of CEO Dieter Zetsche (62) will indeed be extended for another three years in February. What this means is that in 2019 at the latest, Zetsche will step down from its chairman position.
According to the German magazine, his successor will be Ola Kallenius. The 46-year-old Swede is currently responsible for the sales operations of Mercedes and Smart and also occupies a seat on the Management Board.
Bischoff wants to promote the rejuvenation of the management board gradually. If everything goes as planned, right after its retirement from Daimler’s top job, Zetsche will take over the chairmanship of the Supervisory Board – after the recommended two-year waiting period imposed by the the corporate governance practice.
Next opportunity for bringing new blood into the ruling ranks would be the forthcoming retiring of the Development Chief Officer Thomas Weber (61). The favorites for promotion to the top management would be the Mercedes cars Boards Klaus Zehender (48) and Markus Schäfer (50).
