Before the Deutsche Bahn earnings conference on Friday, Professor Christian Böttger – a rail expert at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences – says further management reforms are necessary. He explained to the media group Bayern that a key question will be whether Chief Executive Evelyn Palla can enforce her ambitious reform agenda against opposition.
Böttger identifies the strongest obstacles as the EVG trade union, which holds a large share of the board, and as supporters from the SPD representation of the owners – the federal government – who have repeatedly made clear that they do not favor structural reforms and remain skeptical of major reshaping. He added that a reform of the supervisory board is also needed because several directors still in office contributed to the crisis and must be replaced urgently.
Despite these challenges, Böttger believes Palla is pursuing the right reforms. He praised her corporate experience and was impressed with the directness with which she tackles and manages problems.
