New Linde CEO to boost core business growth-paper

FRANKFURT, April 20 Reuters reported that Wolfgang Reitzle, who is about to take the helm of Linde AG (LING.F), told a newspaper on Saturday he would focus on the German industrial gas and engineering group's core business to fuel growth.

Asked about his plans for Linde, Reitzle, a former senior executive of Ford Motor Co (F.N.), said: ``We will accelerate growth. We will work on optimising the traditional business,'' the Welt am Sonntag reported in a preview of its Sunday edition.

On Friday, Linde said it had poached Reitzle from Ford as its new chief executive.

Rietzle, who had been with Ford since 1999, said he had been unhappy with changes made during restructuring at the U.S. auto giant.

``What has bothered me is that since the restructuring I don't report to the number 1 in the organisation anymore, rather to the Chief Operating Officer. I'm not used to that,'' he said.

Market players have long speculated that he was unable to work out reporting lines within the group and had differences with Ford's Chief Operating Officer Nick Scheele.

The 53-year-old Bavarian will join Linde's board on May 10 and take over from current CEO, 65-year-old Gerhard Full, from January 1 2003. He will maintain his links with the U.S. auto giant in a consulting role.