Sigrid Nikutta is indeed leaving her position as CEO of DB Cargo. Following a Supervisory Board meeting on 30 October, the company confirmed earlier reports about her departure. Bernhard Osburg, former CEO of thyssenkrupp Steel, will replace her starting 15 November.
Nikutta faced criticism from both within and outside the company for the dwindling performance of DB Cargo and her restructuring plans. Dissatisfaction with her leadership led to her leaving the rail freight operator.
The new CEO, Bernhard Osburg, will take office on 15 November. He has held various management positions in the steel industry for over 20 years, says Deutsche Bahn. Osburg implemented restructuring and cost-cutting measures and thyssenkrupp Steel, but ultimately left the company over disputes about the needed extent of capacity cuts to reach profitability. He will now be tasked with overseeing the transformation process at DB Cargo.
Board reorganisation completed
Besides the appointment of Bernhard Osburg, the Deutsche Bahn Supervisory Board has appointed three new members, a new CFO (Karin Dohm) and a new head of DB Regio (Harmen van Zijderveld).
“I am very much looking forward to working resolutely with the new management team to drive forward the relaunch of Deutsche Bahn”, commented the newly installed Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla. “With Karin Dohm, Harmen van Zijderveld and Bernhard Osburg, we are gaining experienced and responsible leaders who possess precisely the implementation skills and future-oriented approach that we need now.”