DaimlerChrysler’s embattled chairman Juergen Schrempp will remain head of the manufacturer, it was announced on Thursday, but the recently appointed head of Mercedes-Benz, Wolfgang Bernhard’s future now hangs in the balance.
DaimlerChrysler’s embattled chairman Juergen Schrempp will remain head of the manufacturer, it was announced on Thursday, but the recently appointed head of Mercedes-Benz, Wolfgang Bernhard’s future now hangs in the balance.
Last week, Schrempp and two other management board members offered to resign following the management board’s rejection of Shrempp’s plan to capitalise Mitsubishi, in which DaimlerChrysler holds a 37 per cent stake.
However, when the supervisory board met on Thursday it expressed its full support of him while rejecting his offered resignation.
Instead questions have been raised about Bernhard who had recently been appointed to head the Mercedes-Benz unit and was meant to officially start next week. He is the former chief operating officer for Chrysler.
One company official told that Bernhard, known for his aggressive style at Chrysler, had alienated key staff and suppliers during the time he had been in Stuttgart working with the current Mercedes-Benz chief, Juergen Hubbert.
The official said Hubbert advised key supervisory board members that Bernhard’s appointment would be problematic and persuaded the board to reconsider his appointment.
Statements from the supervisory board suggested that he could be given another post within the company. Bernhard had run the Mercedes-Benz AMG unit before moving to Chrysler.