(Berlin, 25 April 2009) In an extraordinary meeting held in Essen on Saturday, the DB Supervisory Board appointed Dr. Rüdiger Grube as the new DB Chairman and CEO. The former member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG takes office on 1 May 2009. His contract will run for five years. The 57-year-old Grube will become Chairman of the Management Board of Deutsche Bahn AG and concurrently Chairman of the Management Board of DB Mobility Logistics AG. At the same time, on 30 April 2009, the outgoing DB Chairman and CEO Hartmut Mehdorn, with the consent of the Supervisory Board, will leave the office he has held for almost ten years.
Dr. Werner Müller, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board: “With the appointment of Rüdiger Grube, a first-class manager takes over as Deutsche Bahn’s new Chairman and CEO. The company is looking forward to its new chief executive. The Supervisory Board is absolutely convinced that Dr. Grube will deal with the challenges that lie ahead and further strengthen DB.“
Born in Hamburg, Dr. Grube has been a member of the Board of Management of the Daimler AG automotive group for eight years with responsibility for corporate development and all North East Asia activities, including the growth region of China. He was also responsible for the group’s entire global IT operations, with over 6,000 employees. Concurrently, Dr. Grubewas Chairman of the Board of Directors of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space group EADS. After graduating from university with an engineering degree, he studied vocational and business teaching, subsequently receiving a doctorate in industrial science. Dr. Grube: “I am looking forward very much to taking up my new position. Together with the entire workforce, I intend to continue DB’s successful strategy. We’ll do it, I’m absolutely sure of that.“
At the close of the Supervisory Board meeting, Dr. Müller thanked the outgoing Chairman and CEO for his work: “Hartmut Mehdorn shaped an era at Deutsche Bahn and has earned lasting credit. The successful restructuring and modernisation of DB in particular will always remain associated with his name.“ In reply, Mehdorn said: “It was a wonderful time, and always exciting. We railway people have achieved a great deal in the last ten years. And we can all be proud of that.“ Dr. Müller announced that the Supervisory Board would hold an official farewell ceremony for Hartmut Mehdorn on 25 May 2009 in the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.