DaimlerChrysler's Bischoff Gets Board Post

FRANKFURT April 27, 2006; Reuters reported that DaimlerChrysler's supervisory board elected new member Manfred Bischoff to its influential presidential committee on Thursday, the world's fifth-biggest carmaker said.

Bischoff, the chairman of aerospace group EADS and former head of Daimler's aerospace unit Dasa, is widely expected to succeed Hilmar Kopper as DaimlerChrysler chairman when Kopper's term expires next year.

Bischoff, 62, was elected to the supervisory board at the annual meeting earlier this month. At the time, Kopper told shareholders that the DaimlerChrysler board had not discussed who would next be chairman, let alone decided on Bischoff.

Bischoff succeeds Manfred Schneider on the presidential committee, which has special responsibility for deciding contractual matters relating to the board of management and sets compensation for senior executives.

It also advises the chairman and his deputies and prepares supervisory board meetings.

Kopper is the other shareholder representative on the four-member panel. Labour representatives are works council head Erich Klemm and Thomas Klebe from the IG Metall union.