Three new members have been appointed to the DB Board of Directors.
Karen Daum will take over as DB’s CFO from 1 December.
German Railways (DB) has confirmed that the reorganization of its senior management has now been completed, with three new members appointed to the Board of Management. they:
- Karen Daum, who has been appointed DB’s new CFO effective December 1, after holding a similar role at home improvement retailer Hornbach Group for several years
- Harmen van Zijderveld, who has worked at DB for more than 20 years and will take charge of the Regional Passenger Services Board on 1 December, and
- Bernhard Osburg, former CEO of Thyssenkrupp Steel, has become the new Cargo Board Member, after his appointment as CEO of DB Cargo was confirmed with effect from 15 November.
The reshuffle at the top management follows the appointment in September of Evelyn Bala, the new CEO of DB Group, who replaces Dr Richard Lutz, the long-serving CEO. He fell out of favor with the incoming Christian Democrats-led government earlier this year, following sustained criticism of DB Bank’s poor financial and operational performance.
Lutz’s departure was followed by the sacking of DB Cargo’s chief executive, Dr Sigrid Nikutta, on October 30, following concerns about her ability to return DB’s freight subsidiary to profitability by next year. DB will leave by the end of this year, but will hand over her responsibilities on November 15 to ensure a smooth transition.
“I am very much looking forward to working decisively with the new management team to drive the DB relaunch forward,” says Bala.
“With Karin Daum, Harmen van Zijderveld, and Bernhard Osburg, we are gaining experienced and responsible leaders who precisely possess the implementation skills and future-oriented approach we need now.”
