Daimler has confirmed earlier media reports management board member and Trucks & Buses chief Wolfgang Bernhard is to step down having asked management and the supervisory board not to extend his current contract, which expires in February 2018.
“Wolfgang Bernhard will leave the company at his own request and for personal reasons,” the automaker said in a statement.
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“We regret this resolution, but we have a number of outstanding managers to succeed. We thank Wolfgang Bernhard for his committed work and respect his personal decision. Bernhard leaves immediately and CEO and Cars chief Dieter Zetsche will head the heavy commercials unit until a successor is named.
Bernhard became head of the vans division in 2009, joined the management board in February 2010 and headed production and purchasing until March 2013, moving to head Trucks & Buses in April that year.
According to an earlier Reuters report, German magazine Der Spiegel, citing company sources, broke the news Bernhard would not seek contract extension.
Daimler had declined to comment.
Spiegel reportedly said supervisory board members, who were going to discuss extending Bernhard’s contract at a meeting on Friday, were surprised to learn that he would not stay on if offered an extension.
Reuters noted Bernhard’s skills as a turnaround manager landed him top divisional jobs such as head of Mercedes-Benz cars, Chrysler and as CEO of the Volkswagen passenger car business in a wide ranging career in the auto industry but, last year, Daimler extended Zetche’s contract by three years, a move which effectively ruled out 56-year old Bernhard as a potential successor.
Bernhard would be close to 60 in 2019 when Daimler is due to choose its next chief executive.
In February 2016, Daimler also promoted Ola Kaellenius, a 46-year-old Swede, to head research and development, a move that company insiders said made him a natural heir to Zetsche, Reuters added.
Daimler said the supervisory board today had extended Kaellenius’ contract by five years to 31 December, 2022.
