Many people were particularly unsettled by the departure of CFO Steenbergen. The Dutchman is officially leaving because he received a better offer. But someone who knows him claims to have noticed signs of frustration alongside the comparatively low salary. Steenbergen therefore wanted investors to participate in the maintenance subsidiary Technik and was more or less against joining the ailing Italian state line Ita. “But even though he had investors and Kley on his side, he couldn’t prevail against Spohr – and left,” said an insider.
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This apparently worries investors. “We see uncertainty in the financial strategy, particularly in achieving the promised EBIT margin of eight percent this year,” says Harry Gowers from investment bank JPMorgan. That’s why he fears that Lufthansa will have difficulty finding a successor. “He will be the third CFO in a row before a successor has been chosen,” said an analyst.