AUBURN HILLS, MI: Christoph Walther has resigned as SVP in charge
of DaimlerChrysler AG communications to form a new international PR
consulting company with offices in Munich and London.
His departure is effective at the end of the year. His partner in the
new venture will be former colleague Roland Klein, another veteran
Daimler PR executive who left the German-based industrial company just
two years ago to be the communications SVP of Scandinavian electronics
company Ericsson, based in London. Klein has resigned from Ericsson.
Walther will be succeeded at DaimlerChrysler by Hartmut Schick,
currently VP and chief of staff for CEO Juergen Schrempp. Schick, an
engineer by training, is a veteran Mercedes car and Daimler aerospace
business executive.
According to Ken Levy, VP of communications for the Chrysler Group in
Auburn Hills, MI, both Walther and Schick "enjoy the full confidence" of
both Schrempp and the board of management and supervisory board. Neither
Walther nor Levy expects any changes in day-to-day communications
activities.
"Until now, there has been no international PR consulting company in
Germany - only those providing communications services," Walther told
PRWeek.
Significantly, the firm's first new client will be Daimler-Chrysler.
