Deutsche Börse Considers Possible CEOs

Deutsche Börse has drawn up a short list of possible candidates for the vacant position of chief executive that includes the names of top managers from Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Allianz and HypoVereinsbank, the Financial Times Deutschland reported on Wednesday. The list compiled by the stock market operator's supervisory board included Martin Blessig from Commerzbank, Hermann-Josef Lamberti from Deutsche Bank, Paul Achleitner from Allianz and Stefan Jentzsch from HypoVereinsbank, the newspaper said, quoting sources close to the board. "None of them have actually been approached yet. It's just a preliminary list," the source was quoted as saying. Earlier this week, the financial daily Börsen-Zeitung had said that HVB board member Stefan Jentzsch was the favorite to take over as chairman of Deutsche Börse, a position left vacant since the stormy departure of Werner Seifert in May. Hedge fund TCI, which holds a major stake in Deutsche Börse and effectively engineered Seifert's downfall, had signaled it could be agreeable to Jentzsch taking over, the newspaper said. Jentzsch, who is head of HVB's corporate and markets division, has been a member of Deutsche Börse's supervisory board since May 2002. London-based TCI (The Children's Investment Fund) staged a revolt at Deutsche Börse earlier this year, throwing a spanner in the works of the German group's plans to take over the venerable London market and campaigning mercilessly to have Seifert and his ally on the supervisory board, Rolf Breuer, booted out of office.