EnBW appoints replacement for Andreas Schell after ‘disagreements’ lead to departure

Schell’s departure follows disagreements on the strategic development of the company, EnBW said.

Schell’s contract was not due to expire until 15 November 2025.

Thanking Schell for his “considerable commitment” to the company, Lutz Feldmann, chairman of the supervisory board, said: “Despite intensive discussions, it has not been possible to reach an agreement on the future strategic direction of the company in recent months.”

Effective immediately, Stamatelopoulos, 54, will now be the company’s new chairman of the management board until the end of his existing appointments at the end of May 2029. He has been with EnBW for 15 years, three of which have been as a supervisory board member. He will maintain responsibility for Sustainable Generation Infrastructure on the EnBW supervisory board until a replacement is appointed.

“Georg Stamatelopoulos has been highly successful in restructuring the generation portfolio in various positions at EnBW. This includes significantly expanding wind and solar energy while simultaneously planning new hydrogen-ready gas power plants, not to mention phasing out nuclear power and, in the foreseeable future, coal-fired power generation,” said Feldman.

EnBW’s supervisory board also appointed the company’s chief financial officer, Thomas Kusterer, 55, as deputy chairman of the management board. His contract was recently extended to end March 2029.

“We need to maintain the right pace, take the right action and invest in the right projects,” added Stamatelopoulos.

EnBW recently announced it was withdrawing from Norway’s forthcoming debut offshore wind tender, claiming conditions related to transmission ownership and state support are “inadequate”.