Wolfgang Reitzle, current CEO of German industrial group Linde and formerly a high-flying auto industry exec with BMW and Ford, is favoured to become the next CEO of Siemens after Klaus Kleinfeld resigned last week, according to the German media.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung said Reitzle remained first choice, despite Linde’s statement that he would stay with Linde, and mentioned former DaimlerChrysler manager Eckhard Cordes as a possible candidate.
Former Volkswagen manager Wolfgang Bernhard has also been reported by German media to be in the running.
A source told Reuters that it was ‘unthinkable’ the next CEO of German industrial conglomerate Siemens could come from inside the company, which is battling corruption allegations.
Kleinfeld tendered his resignation last week after it became public knowledge that he did not have the full support of the supervisory board, some of whose members feared he could be drawn into the corruption scandal at the company.
Kleinfeld says he has done nothing wrong, and multiple investigations into suspected bribery by current and former Siemens staff have not implicated him, Reuters reported.
His resignation left a power vacuum at Siemens after Heinrich von Pierer resigned as chairman last week.
