Changes at GfK Management

German agency GfK has announced three changes to its management board including a new CFO and an early contract renewal for existing CEO, Dr. Klaus Wubbenhorst.

Dr. Franz Merl will take up his position as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) by 1 April 2002. In addition to Financial Services, he will also be responsible for two other departments in GfK Group Services: Personnel Services and Central Services. Dr. Merl is currently a member of the management board of Bayerische Treuhandgesellschaft and a partner at KPMG Germany.

The Supervisory Board has also renewed the contract of CEO, Dr. Klaus L. Wübbenhorst, ahead of schedule for a further five years until 2007. After handing over the CFO`s tasks to Dr. Merl, he will continue to head up the Strategy, Investor Relations, Public Affairs and Communications, Method and Product Development, Senior Management Development and GfK Data Services departments.

In addition, Petra Heinlein, 43, will take over responsibility for the Media division as from the beginning of January 2002. She succeeds Gerhard Kirschner, who as planned will be leaving GfK`s management board at his own request in the first half of 2002. He will still be available to the management board on a consultancy basis.

Petra Heinlein has many years` experience in market research and has been working for GfK since 1985. After seven years with GfK Marktforschung in Nuremberg, she was appointed Managing Director of GfK subsidiary, Contest Census in Frankfurt/Main in 1992. Since the end of 1999, she has successfully supported the management board in integrating the American subsidiary, GfK Custom Research, which was acquired in 1999, and the British Martin Hamblin Group, in which GfK acquired a 51% holding this year.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.