euro adhoc: GfK AG
Board of Directors (Appointments and Changes) /
GfK Group restructures Management Board responsibilities and appoints
new CFO
Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
01.03.2005
Nuremberg, 1 March 2005 - Supervisory Board and HR Committee resolve to restructure Management Board areas of responsibility and appoint Christian Weller von Ahlefeld as CFO. The Supervisory Board has acknowledged that after almost two months since the Asian tsunami took place on 26 December in Asia, there is now very little chance of Heinrich A. Litzenroth, who has been Management Board Member with the responsibility for the Custom Research Division being found. His Management Board appointment has therefore been withdrawn. The business operations of GfK, which have previously been organized in five business divisions, will in future be allocated to three areas of responsibility, pooling the relevant information services in accordance with similar client demands. This Management Board proposal has been agreed by the HR Committee today. Custom Research: information services concerning the "point of marketing decisions" With sales for 2004 of EUR 252.1 million (provisional) and just under 2,000 employees, Custom Research is the largest of the GfK business divisions. Petra Heinlein, previously responsible for the Media business division, will take over Custom Research. Retail and Technology: information services concerning the "point of purchase decisions" With sales for 2004 of EUR 187.0 million (provisional) and almost 1,700 employees, Retail and Technology is the second largest GfK business division. This business division will continue to be the responsibility of Dr. Gérard Hermet. Consumer Tracking/Media: information services concerning the "point of consumer decisions" and the specialized service division, HealthCare In 2004, the division encompassing the three business segments achieved sales totalling EUR 224.7 million (provisional) with just under 1,440 employees. Wilhelm R. Wessels, previously responsible for Consumer Tracking and HealthCare, will take over responsibility for the division. Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Christian Weller von Ahlefeld (46) has been appointed as CFO on 1 June 2005 for a period of three years. In future, he will have the following areas of responsibility: finance, controlling and accounting, human resources and administration. Business graduate von Ahlefeld started his career in 1983 with J. P. Morgan. After working for SBC Warburg and Siemens, he became CFO for the Tele München Gruppe in the summer of 2000, where he was responsible for finance and controlling, human resources and mergers & acquisitions. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Klaus L. Wübbenhorst will continue in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer.
Further details can be found on the press release published on our website www.gfk.de.
end of announcement euro adhoc 01.03.2005 13:30:40
Further inquiry note:
Bernhard Wolf
Tel.: +49 (0) 911 395 2012
E-Mail: bernhard.wolf@gfk.de
Branche: Market research
ISIN: DE0005875306
WKN: 587530
Index: SDAX, Prime Standard, CDAX, Classic All Share, Prime All Share
Börsen: Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse / official dealing