To maintain the focus on
sustainable growth, RWE AG is driving forward the centralisation of key Group
functions, the company said Monday.
This reorganisation will mean additional tasks being taken on by the
departments involved. For this reason, further personnel decisions have been
made.
The areas of "Corporate Development" and "Mergers &
Acquisitions", previously combined in one department, have now been
separated. As of Apr. 7 2008, Dr. Leonhard Birnbaum will become head of the new
Corporate Development department. In view of planned company growth, which
involves acquisitions, "Mergers & Acquisitions" will become increasingly
important. Andreas Zetzsche will continue to head this department.
After completing his doctorate, Leonhard Birnbaum joined the McKinsey &
Company management consulting firm in 1996 as a consultant focusing on energy
and energy-intensive primary industries. Following several years spent working
in Duesseldorf and Houston,
Texas, he was named partner in
2000 and senior partner in Jun. 2006. As director, he is a member of McKinsey's
management team for the European energy sector.
The areas of "Communications" and "Public Affairs" are also
to be separated. On Feb. 15, 2008, Dr. Peter Heinacher joined RWE as head of
the new department of Energy Policy. Volker Heck will continue in his role as
head of Communications.
Peter Heinacher was previously director of the central unit "Government
Relations and Regulatory Strategy" at Deutsche Telekom and took over as
head of Group-wide Corporate Responsibility strategy. Important political
changes took place during his tenure, including an amendment to the
Telecommunications Act, the review of the European regulatory framework and the
revision of the pension law. Peter Heinacher has good contacts in Berlin and Brussels.
Before joining Deutsche Telekom, he held an executive position at the German
Handelsblatt business newspaper.
"The centralisation of key functions in the Group lays the foundation for
RWE to continue on its growth track with renewed vigour and unity",
commented Dr. Juergen Grossmann, CEO of RWE AG. "We are delighted to have
found in Leonhard Birnbaum and Peter Heinacher experienced executives to take
on the tasks at hand."