DaimlerChrysler’s Chairman Prof. Jurgen E. Schrempp will be leaving the company at the end of the year after being there for 44 years.
Out of these 44 years, Schrempp spent 17 of them in a row in chairmanship positions at Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA) and Daimler-Benz AG, which became DaimlerChrysler.
Schrempp’s replacement will be the current head of Chrysler group, Dr. Zetsche. He will take on the position as of January 1, 2006. He will remain in the position for five years.
Replacing Dr. Zetsche in the position of Chrysler Group head will be Tom LaSorda, who is currently the group’s Chief Operating Officer. He will also take on his new position on January 1. He has also become a full member of DaimlerChrysler’s Board of Management.
Taking LaSorda’s place as Chief Operating Officer starting January 1, will be Eric Ridenour. He will also become a member of the Board of Management. He will remain in the position for three years.
“The Supervisory Board and Prof. Schrempp are in full agreement that the end of the year 2005 is the optimal time for a change in the leadership of the company,” said Hilmar Kopper, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DaimlerChrysler. “The decisions of the Supervisory Board have been made unanimously after a thorough process.”
DaimlerChrysler claims that its financial results for the second quarter are an indication of positive development for the company, with the Chrysler and Mercedes groups both showing improvement.
“The balance sheet is sound and cash-flow development is stable. The 2005 profit forecast for the DaimlerChrysler group remains unchanged, and significant earnings improvements are to be expected as of the year 2006″, added Kopper.
Chris is a staff writer for murdok. Visit murdok for the latest ebusiness news.