Evelyn Palla will take office as the new CEO of the Deutsche Bahn (DB) Group on 1 October, replacing Richard Lutz. With Palla, DB hopes to get a new “fresh start”.
German transport minister Patrick Schnieder proposed Palla for the position on Monday. Barely a day later, she was accepted for the job. “With her outstanding operational and strategic skills, Evelyn Palla has proven her ability to successfully implement transformation projects in leading European corporations, and since 2019 also at Deutsche Bahn”, commented Supervisory Board Chairman Werner Gatzer.
“She has guided the DB Regio AG business unit from the most challenging to calmer waters – together with everyone involved and, above all, with the colleagues who serve millions of customers every day. We are firmly convinced that with Evelyn Palla at the helm, DB will achieve a successful relaunch and that the agenda for satisfied customers on the railways presented by the Federal Ministry of Transport can be swiftly implemented”, Gatzer continued.
Trade union EVG opposed the plan
There was some confusion surrounding the appointment of Palla after rail and transport trade union EVG announced that it would vote against her. EVG was opposed not to the appointment of Palla, but rather to Dirk Rompf, who was proposed by transport minister Schnieder as the new CEO of DB InfraGO.
“Professor Rompf was responsible for infrastructure for six years. And with his obsession with austerity, he is partly to blame for the current situation”, EVG Chairman Martin Burkert stated. “This not only damages the new CEO, but also costs employees trust. It’s clear: the federal government has no grasp of personnel policy.”
In the end, EVG did not have the votes to block Palla’s appointment, nor did it manage to convince enough other Supervisory Board members to join its protest.