Michael Reuther, the Commerzbank AG Board member for Corporate Clients, has today notified the Supervisory Board that he is happy to fulfil his contract, which runs to the end of September 2019, but that he would decline a potential offer to extend his contract. At the same meeting, the Supervisory Board accepted, with regret, the request of Chief Operating Officer Frank Annuscheit to leave the Board on 28 February 2019 on health grounds. Jörg Hessenmüller has been named as Frank Annuscheit's successor. Jörg Hessenmüller's appointment to the Board of Managing Directors with effect from 1 January 2019 is still subject to the approval of the supervisory authorities.

 
Supervisory Board Chairman Stefan Schmittmann acknowledged with regret the upcoming departure of Frank Annuscheit and the announcement by Michael Reuther, and expressed his recognition of their many years of successful work.
 
Michael Reuther said of the reasons for his decision: “I have always found my work at Commerzbank and with my fellow Board members very enjoyable. But after what will be 13 years on the Commerzbank Board, I would like to embark on a new chapter in my professional life. Under my current life plans, extending my contract is no longer an option. Therefore I would like to give the Bank enough time to find a suitable successor, and, in my final year at the Bank, bring the restructuring of the Corporate Clients segment to a successful conclusion. I think this is also a good time for a change of management in the Corporate Clients business. My successor can then focus fully on the further growth of the business.”
 
Martin Zielke, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors of Commerzbank, commented: “I am sorry to learn of Michael Reuther’s decision, but I respect it. Michael Reuther is a valued colleague with a broad international profile and strong market expertise. He has made very good progress with the reorganisation of the Corporate Clients business, and I am pleased that he will be actively working with us on the transition and the search for his successor. During the integration of Dresdner Bank, he very successfully combined the trading operations of the two investment banks. The focus on client business only has made us a frontrunner in the industry. That deserves great credit. For that I extend my warmest thanks to Michael Reuther.”
 
Frank Annuscheit said of his reasons for stepping down: “I have been responsible for the Bank's IT and operations areas for 15 years, 11 of them as a member of the Board. That is a long time with a lot of transformations which have left their mark on me both professionally and personally. So the decision to withdraw from operational business did not come easily. But it is now time for me to focus on other priorities.”
 
Martin Zielke, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors of Commerzbank, commented: “Frank Annuscheit has been an important driving force for us. The head office restructuring recently decided on, whereby important IT functions are to be integrated into product development, was partly initiated by him. This is a bold and groundbreaking step for the Bank. The successful integration of Dresdner Bank’s IT was also attributable to him. I would like to extend my thanks to Frank Annuscheit for this, and am pleased that he will continue to work with the Bank in the future.”
 
Frank Annuscheit added: “In a digital enterprise, the IT has to be even more closely integrated into product and process responsibility. It is a good time, prior to the start of the crucial phase of this restructuring, to hand over responsibility to someone new. I am pleased the Bank has found, in Jörg Hessenmüller, a successor who will accomplish this task with great passion and energy.”
 
Jörg Hessenmüller, currently Divisional Board Member for the Group division Digital Transformation & Strategy, is to take over from Frank Annuscheit.
 
The Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors of Commerzbank, Martin Zielke, said: “I am delighted to welcome Jörg Hessenmüller to the Board. As Head of Strategy he was actively involved in shaping Commerzbank 4.0 and revamping the Group head office. In his new role he will drive and implement the ongoing digital transformation of the Bank. As a board member of mBank in Poland, he gained a wealth of experience in new technologies and their implementation.”