The personnel carousel on the board of the Munich industrial icon Knorr-Bremse is turning again.
Now truck boss Peter Laier has announced his departure.
Munich - The Munich-based brake specialist Knorr-Bremse has yet to look for a new board member.
Peter Laier (53), who is responsible for the commercial vehicle division, “resigns from his management board mandate with effect from December 31, 2021 at his own request, in order to reorient himself professionally”, the group announced on Friday, surprisingly.
The department will then be temporarily led by CEO Jan Mrosik.
The then CEO Bernd Eulitz only left the company in August 2020.
The departure was preceded by profound differences of opinion about the future direction of the group.
Knorr-Bremse: Hope to leap to the top
CFO Ralph Heuwing had already left the world market leader for truck and train brakes in April 2020.
According to reports, Heuwing had hoped for the executive chair after the departure of the former CEO Klaus Deller.
Instead, the supervisory board had opted for the former Linde board member Eulitz.
Now the supervisory body has to look around for a new board member for the truck division.
From informed circles it is said that Laier has also figured out opportunities to jump to the top of the group.
At the Munich industrial company, the heads of the two corporate divisions for commercial vehicles and rail traditionally have a strong position.
Supervisory board chairman Klaus Mangold said they regretted Laiers' decision to leave the company prematurely.
With Laier, "we are losing a proven expert on the commercial vehicle industry and a management board with a strong focus on implementation," it said.
The supervisory board has started the search for a successor.
Laier has been a member of the Knorr-Bremse Executive Board since January 2016.
Sales in the commercial vehicle division grew strongly under his leadership.
(With material from dpa)
