Last Friday, T-Systems' supervisory board announced the appointment of Klaus Werner as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), replacing his predecessor Wilfried Peters with immediate effect due to differing views on the company's future. Werner has been with Deutsche Telekom Group since 1994, holding several functions in finance and controlling, most recently as Director of Finance and IT and Deputy Chairman of T-Punkt Vertriebsgesellschaft.
Ever since Reinhard Clemens resumed office as CEO of T-Systems in December 2007, we have seen numerous changes. Since his inaugural speech in January, when he laid out his strategic vision for T-Systems, he has been engrossed in its execution. Part of this forms the reorganisation of the company, which has resulted in the consolidation of its two business units, Large Enterprises and Business Customers, into a single division, entailing the elimination of redundant management functions. However, despite cutting some redundant management functions, Clemens needs managers that help him implement those envisaged changes. After taking time to take stock of the company, he has now, within the span of only a few months, begun to fill most of the key functions with new faces, either promoting from within the Telekom Group or by bringing along allies from his time at EDS.
He is acting fast, but not rushed. Will the turnaround of T-Systems also happen faster than many expected‾