The Board of Directors of Kuehne + Nagel International AG accepted the
request of Reinhard Lange, CEO of the Kuehne + Nagel Group since
2009, to release him from his duties because of health reasons effective
May 7, 2013 (Annual General Meeting). Until the termination of his contract
on December 31, 2013, Reinhard Lange will continue to support the Group
in a consultancy role.
To facilitate the transition to a new Group CEO - the search has already
started - a management team under the leadership of Karl Gernandt,
Chairman of Kuehne + Nagel International AG, will take over the tasks of
Reinhard Lange. This will begin with the planned streamlining of the
regional structures and the respective management teams. Karl Gernandt
together with the business units' heads Hans-Otto Schacht (Seafreight),
Tim Scharwath (Airfreight), Stefan Paul (Road & Rail Logistics) and
Dr. Detlef Trefzger (Contract Logistics) will be responsible for the
implementation of the aligned structure. The CFO, Gerard van Kesteren,
will also have an important role in ensuring the unchanged performance
orientation of the Group.
In his more than 40 years of service, Reinhard Lange substantially
contributed to the success of the Kuehne + Nagel Group. After he started
his professional career with Kuehne + Nagel in Bremen, he was member of
the management boards in the Asia-Pacific region and in Germany, before
he became Managing Director of the Kuehne + Nagel organisation in
Canada. In 1999 he was appointed to the Management Board of Kuehne +
Nagel International AG. The succesfull development of the seafreight
business, Kuehne + Nagel is the worldwide leader in this industry segment,
is largely due to Reinhard Lange.