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DB Moves to Oust DB Cargo Chief Sigrid Nikutta After Scathing Audit

An EU subsidy ban with a 2026 profitability deadline is forcing a leadership reset.

Overview

  • Multiple outlets report Nikutta will be removed, with a special supervisory board meeting set for 30 October to formalize the decision.
  • An internal Oliver Wyman review found her turnaround plan not objectively suitable to secure sustainable profitability or competitiveness.
  • The appraisal faults a lack of concrete measures, optimistic assumptions, and underdeveloped ideas for single-wagon traffic.
  • The EVG union had urged her ouster, citing roughly €3.1 billion in losses under her tenure and a sustained decline in market share.
  • New DB chief Evelyn Palla is driving a broader board overhaul, as DB Cargo faces an EU ban on parent support and a requirement to be profitable by 2026; no successor has been announced.