Mr. Miguel Ángel López Borrego to Take Charge of thyssenkrupp as Ms Martina Merz to Retire
In a significant development, Ms. Martina Merz, CEO of thyssenkrupp, has expressed her desire to retire from the Executive Board and requested the Personnel Committee of the Supervisory Board of thyssenkrupp to discuss a timely termination by mutual agreement of her Executive Board service contract as Chairwoman. As per her request, the Personnel Committee of the Supervisory Board is set to commence talks with her regarding an amicable termination of her Executive Board employment contract.
Concurrently, the Human Resources Committee has recommended to the Supervisory Board the appointment of Mr. Miguel Ángel López Borrego, the current Chairman of the Executive Board of NORMA Group and the former CEO of Siemens Spain, as a member of the Executive Board of thyssenkrupp AG effective from June 01, 2023, and also to appoint him as Chairman of the Executive Board.
Professor Siegfried Russwurm, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of thyssenkrupp, commented that the board has been successful in recruiting an experienced international manager with a wealth of industry experience in digitalization and Industry 4.0, along with highly experienced financial and M&A experts to lead thyssenkrupp into the future. He also acknowledged that the transformation of thyssenkrupp is yet to be completed, and under Mr. López Borrego's leadership, the company will continue on the path of transformation based on the strategic lines developed.
Professor Russwurm also expressed his gratitude to Ms. Merz for her hard work and leadership during challenging times, as she initiated a comprehensive change process at thyssenkrupp with a high level of commitment and great competence. He highlighted that her target definition, according to which the best possible further development of the business is more important than the ownership structure in case of doubt, was also clearly supported by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting in February 2023.
Ms. Merz expressed her thoughts on the company's restructuring efforts and her decision to step down as Chairwoman of the Executive Board. She stated, "We have achieved a great deal in the restructuring of thyssenkrupp, created space with the sale of the elevator business, implemented a number of transactions and firmly anchored our focus on the development of the businesses. Key strategic decisions have been made. Promising talks have been held with potential partners for the steel to become independent. In the upcoming phase, the focus is on financial expertise and further improving performance. That's where additional commercial skills are certainly useful. I want to open the way for this focus in the interest of the company. I wish thyssenkrupp, which has grown very close to my heart over the past few years, all the best."
Mr. López Borrego graduated from high school in Hesse and holds a Dipl.-Betriebswirt from the University of Cooperative Education Mannheim, and an MBA from the University of Toronto. He started his career as a controller at VDO and then became the CFO of VDO Instrumentos in Spain and the worldwide VDO Instrument Division. Within the Siemens Group, he was CFO of various business units and the Digital Factory Division. He served as CFO of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and was President & CEO of the Board of Siemens Spain and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Siemens-Gamesa Renewable Energy until 2022. Until May 31, 2023, López Borrego is Chairman of the Management Board of the automotive and industrial supplier NORMA Group.
The appointment of Mr. López Borrego comes at a crucial time for thyssenkrupp AG as the company seeks to make significant strategic decisions and find potential partners to make the steel business independent. Mr. López Borrego's broad industry experience and financial expertise are expected to be useful in this regard, and the thyssenkrupp board looks forward to his contributions to the company's growth and development.