Deutsche Telekom's supervisory board has unanimously elected Kai-Uwe Ricke as the company's chief executive officer (CEO) at today's meeting with effect from November 15, 2002. 41-year-old Ricke succeeds Professor Dr.Helmut Sihler, who headed the board of management as interim CEO since July. Sihler's mandate as defined by the supervisory board was for a period of up to six months.
"With Kai-Uwe Ricke we have chosen an experienced manager with an international vision who will use all of his energy and immense expertise to meet the challenges of the global telecommunications industry. Key tasks of his new position will include maintaining the consolidation course while developing new avenues of growth for the company," said Dr. Hans-Dietrich Winkhaus, chairman of Deutsche Telekom's supervisory board.
Following an apprenticeship at a bank and studies at the European Business School in Schloss Reichartshausen, Germany, Ricke started his career as assistant to the board of Bertelsmann AG in Gütersloh, Germany. He then took up the position as head of sales and marketing of its Swedish subsidiary Scandinavian Club AG. From 1990 to June 1995, Ricke was CEO of Talkline GmbH and Talkline PS Phone Service GmbH in Elmshorn, Germany; from July 1995 he acted as the company's chairman and CEO.
In January 1998, Ricke took over as chairman of the board of management of DeTeMobil Deutsche Telekom Mobilnet GmbH. Under his leadership, the company again concentrated on its core business, the T-D1 network, and recaptured the market leadership in Germany. In February 2000, Ricke was appointed chairman of the newly founded T-Mobile International AG where Deutsche Telekom consolidated its principal mobile communications activities. In May 2001, he was appointed to the board of management of Deutsche Telekom. In his role as chief operating officer (COO), he is responsible for Deutsche Telekom's mobile and online businesses.