STUTTGART, Germany, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Supervisory Board of Daimler AG is facing significant personnel changes. At the end of the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on March 31, 2021, the term of office of the longstanding Chairman, Manfred Bischoff, will expire and he will step down from the Supervisory Board.
With him, Petraea Heynike and Jürgen Hambrecht will also step down from the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG. Important new appointment to the Supervisory Board are thus necessary.
The Supervisory Board will therefore propose to the 2021 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting the election of three new persons with great international management experience. The candidates are in the process of focusing the business areas of their companies on the requirements of a dynamically changing society characterized by digitization and sustainability.
Elizabeth Centoni, Senior Vice President Cisco Strategy and Emerging Technology, has held senior management positions at the California-based IT company for many years.
Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc, has headed the multinational company since 2014.
Martin Brudermüller has been Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, since 2018. He is also Chief Technology Officer of BASF.
“On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I would like to express our special thanks to Petraea Heynike and Jürgen Hambrecht for their successful and inspiring work in the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG,” stated Manfred Bischoff after the Supervisory Board meeting on December 3, 2020.
The term of office of Manfred Bischoff as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG will expire at the end of the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on March 31, 2021. He was a member of the Board of Management of the then DaimlerChrysler AG until 2003. In 2006, he was elected to the Supervisory Board of DaimlerChrysler AG and became its Chairman in 2007.
Long-time Nestlé senior executive Petraea Heynike has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2011, and Jürgen Hambrecht, former Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF and former Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BASF, since 2008.
“With Elizabeth Centoni, Ben van Beurden und Martin Brudermüller, we have gained outstanding candidates for membership of the Supervisory Board, who will contribute their extensive knowledge of management, transformation and international markets.”
In its meeting on December 3, 2020, the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG also agreed that in its meeting to be held after the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on March 31, 2021, it will propose to the newly constituted Supervisory Board that Bernd Pischetsrieder be elected as its Chairman.
Bernd Pischetsrieder was for many years a member of the Board of Management of BMW AG and then Chairman of its Board of Management from 1993 to 2000. After moving to Volkswagen AG, he was also Chairman of the Board of Management there from 2002 to 2006. From 2013 to 2019, he was Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the reinsurance company Münchener Rückversicherungsgesellschaft AG. He has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG since 2014.
On the nomination of Bernd Pischetsrieder as his successor, Manfred Bischoff stated: “Bernd Pischetsrieder is one of the most internationally recognized automotive experts. His expertise and wealth of experience are of outstanding importance for Daimler AG. He has been closely involved in the decisions to digitize the Group and to electrify and thus refocus the product portfolio. I hold him in high esteem, both personally and professionally, and I look forward to him becoming my successor as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG.”.
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This document contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current views about future events. The words “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “can,” “could,” “plan,” “project,” “should” and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including an adverse development of global economic conditions, in particular a decline of demand in our most important markets; a deterioration of our refinancing possibilities on the credit and financial markets; events of force majeure including natural disasters, pandemics, acts of terrorism, political unrest, armed conflicts, industrial accidents and their effects on our sales, purchasing, production or financial services activities; changes in currency exchange rates and tariff regulations; a shift in consumer preferences towards smaller, lower-margin vehicles; a possible lack of acceptance of our products or services which limits our ability to achieve prices and adequately utilize our production capacities; price increases for fuel or raw materials; disruption of production due to shortages of materials, labor strikes or supplier insolvencies; a decline in resale prices of used vehicles; the effective implementation of cost-reduction and efficiency-optimization measures; the business outlook for companies in which we hold a significant equity interest; the successful implementation of strategic cooperations and joint ventures; changes in laws, regulations and government policies, particularly those relating to vehicle emissions, fuel economy and safety; the resolution of pending government investigations or of investigations requested by governments and the conclusion of pending or threatened future legal proceedings; and other risks and uncertainties, some of which we describe under the heading “Risk and Opportunity Report” in the current Annual Report or the current Interim Report. If any of these risks and uncertainties materializes or if the assumptions underlying any of our forward-looking statements prove to be incorrect, the actual results may be materially different from those we express or imply by such statements. We do not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements since they are based solely on the circumstances at the date of publication.
Daimler at a glance
Daimler AG is one of the world’s most successful automotive companies. With its Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, Daimler Trucks & Buses and Daimler Mobility divisions, the Group is one of the leading global suppliers of premium cars and one of the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. Daimler Mobility offers financing, leasing, fleet management, investments, credit card and insurance brokerage as well as innovative mobility services. The company founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history by inventing the automobile in 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler sees shaping the future of mobility in a safe and sustainable way as both a motivation and obligation. The company’s focus therefore remains on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior vehicles that both captivate and inspire. Daimler continues to invest systematically in the development of efficient powertrains – from high-tech combustion engines and hybrid vehicles to all-electric powertrains with battery or fuel cell – with the goal of making locally emission-free driving possible in the long term. The company’s efforts are also focused on the intelligent connectivity of its vehicles, autonomous driving and new mobility concepts. Daimler regards it as its aspiration and obligation to live up to its responsibility to society and the environment. Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly every country of the world and has production facilities in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa. In addition to Mercedes-Benz, the world’s most valuable luxury automotive brand (source: Interbrand study, 20 Oct. 2020), and
Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and Mercedes me, its brand portfolio includes smart, EQ, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, FUSO, Setra and Thomas Built Buses as well as the brands of Daimler Mobility: Mercedes-Benz Bank, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and Daimler Truck Financial. The company is listed on the Frankfurt and Stuttgart stock exchanges (ticker symbol DAI). In 2019, the Group had a workforce of around 298,700 and sold 3.3 million vehicles. Group revenues amounted to €172.7 billion and Group EBIT to €4.3 billion.
SOURCE Daimler North America – Corporate Communications
