Ulrike Handel has agreed with Germany-based publishing group Axel Springer SE that she will resign from her executive board mandate on Dec. 31 and leave the business, the company told media.
The chairman of the supervisory board, Ralph Büchi, said, “In the course of the work on the strategy project for News Media National, we came to the mutual decision to end our cooperation due to differing views on the orientation and structure of the division. We thank Ulrike Handel for her great commitment to Axel Springer and wish her all the best for her professional and personal future.”
Handel added, “I have found Axel Springer to be very entrepreneurial and dynamic, and above all I have been able to work with highly motivated and professional people. That is a gift. I would like to thank the supervisory board, my colleagues on the executive board and all employees for the time we spent together and wish them a happy hand in the transformation.”
On the executive board, Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer SE, will assume responsibility for the two media brand groups Welt and Bild with immediate effect. In future, there will be four people on the executive board.
Axel Springer SE has its headquarters in Berlin, and more than 16,200 employees. KKR, an investment firm, owns 35.6% of the company’s shares, followed by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which holds the next-largest portion. Dr. Friede Springer owns about 22.5%, followed by Döpfner with 21.9%.