2024-08-30 14:31:29
The former SPD leader is resigning from his position on the supervisory board. This is said to have been the result of a dispute lasting several weeks.
The heads of both the supervisory board and the executive board of Thyssen-Krupp’s steel division are resigning. Supervisory board chairman Sigmar Gabriel referred in a statement on Thursday to “differences” with the head of the entire group, Miguel López. Gabriel criticized an “unprecedented campaign” that he had conducted against the executive board of the steel division in recent weeks. It was a “serious breach of trust.”
Gabriel accused López of having pushed for the resignation of the Thyssen-Krupp Steel board with his actions. “And this despite the fact that the board of Thyssen-Krupp Steel Europe AG has been committed to the interests of the steel company and has successfully defended itself against what it sees as unacceptable influences on its work.” He can therefore well understand why Thyssen-Krupp Steel boss Bernard Osburg and the other board members of the division, Markus Grolms and Heike Denecke-Arnold, have resigned from their positions.
Gabriel also made accusations against the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Thyssenkrupp Group, Siegfried Russwurm. Overall, he no longer had the impression that the Executive Board and Supervisory Board of Thyssenkrupp AG were still pursuing the original plan of a spin-off while largely retaining the steel division. In addition to Gabriel, his deputy Detlef Wetzel and the other members Wilfried Schäffer and Elke Eller are also withdrawing from the Supervisory Board of the steel division.
Thyssenkrupp is pushing ahead with the spin-off of its steel subsidiary. 20 percent has already been sold to EPCG, owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. The plan is to sell a further 30 percent to EPCG. There is a dispute over the division’s future financing.