Dr Bernd Bohr to step down as chairman of Knorr-Bremse AG

Dr Bernd Bohr, chairman of Knorr-Bremse AG, is to resign his seat on the Supervisory Board of Knorr-Bremse AG effective July 4, 2016 and thus also step down as chairman of this body.

The company says this development follows intensive discussions between Dr. Bernd Bohr and Heinz Hermann Thiele, company proprietor and honorary chairman of the Supervisory Board.

Dr Bohr was appointed by the Annual Shareholders' Meeting of Knorr-Bremse AG on March 11, 2016 and elected chairman of the newly composed Supervisory Board at its inaugural meeting. At the same time, he took over from Mr Thiele as chairman of the Advisory Council.

The company statement, issued today, says, “Dr Bohr and Mr Thiele, who have known each other well for decades and respect one another, regret that, for important reasons, their collaboration cannot continue. The parting of the ways takes place by friendly mutual consent; Dr Bohr will retain his links to the company in an advisory capacity.
His successor in both offices from July 5, 2016 is Hans-Georg Härter, former chairman of the Executive Board of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, who has been a member of the Supervisory Board for many years and has been its deputy chairman since March 11, 2016. Mr Härter and Mr Thiele are also linked by a long and trusting personal relationship.”

On June 29, the Supervisory Board of Knorr-Bremse AG unanimously elected Mr Härter as its new chairman.

Knorr-Bremse is the world's leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles, with sales totaling almost 6 billion euros in 2015. In over 30 countries, some 25,000 employees develop, manufacture, and service braking, entrance, control, and energy supply systems, HVAC and driver assistance systems, as well as powertrain and transmission control solutions.