Thyssenkrupp CEO says resignation offer aims to spark debate about future of company

BERLIN (Reuters) - Thyssenkrupp Chief Executive Heinrich Hiesinger said on Thursday his offer to resign was meant to spark a discussion on the supervisory board about the future of the company.

"A joint understanding of Board and Supervisory Board on the strategic direction of a company is a key pre-requisite for successfully leading a company," Hiesinger said in a statement.

The engineering group's steelmaking joint venture deal with Tata Steel, announced last Saturday, marks "the next significant step" to turning Thyssenkrupp into a strong industrial company, he said.

Hiesinger freed Thyssenkrupp from "an existential crisis" and made the company fit for the future, chairman Ulrich Lehner said.

 

(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Mark Potter)