Werner, Helmut

(1936-)
Metallgesellschaft AG

Overview

Named by Business Week in 1996 as one of the 25 most successful managers, Helmut Werner helped revise the German luxury car company and prepared the way for the blockbuster merger between Mercedes' parent company, Daimler Benz AG, Germany's biggest industrial company, and Chrysler Corp in May 1998. The new DaimlerChrysler company, with sales of $130 billion and 421,000 employees will become one of the largest automakers in the world. Werner, as Chairman of Mercedes-Benz from 1993 to 1997 did not survive a power struggle with Jurgen Schrempp, Daimler Benz's chairman, and eventually resigned from the company. He is still an important player in Mercedes's revitalization and one of the industry's top executives.

Personal Life

Helmut Werner was born in Cologne, Germany, on September 2, 1936. He graduated from the Abiture Beethoven-gymnasium in 1956 and earned a business degree from the University of Cologne in 1961. He is married to Erika Werner, and the couple have two children, Jens and Britta. An avid skier, Werner annually celebrates the Christmas holidays with his family on the ski slopes. He has called his former position as chairman of Mercedes-Benz "the best job in the world." He currently …