Uniper Appoints Next COO

Uniper's supervisory board has appointed David Bryson as the next chief operating officer with effect from November 1. He succeeds Eckhardt Rummler, who will remain a member of the board until end of January 2020 and will ensure an orderly transfer of responsibilities, the German utility said October 16.

Uniper however is at risk of losing its independence, as Finnish utility Fortum, which already owns just under half, is hoping to extend its stake, giving it about 70% of the shares. The two remain in talks. Fortum's original hostile bid led to the resignations of senior Uniper officials, including Rummler; CCO Keith Martin, CFO Christopher Delbruck and CEO Klaus Schafer.

Bryson, a chartered engineer left the army for E.ON Group for more than 10 years in various management positions, and was responsible for the successful management of the operational power plant business in Germany and abroad. Since the end of 2015, Bryson has been responsible for the international operations of Uniper's asset business.

Thanking Rummler, Reutersberg said he had shown a "high level of commitment and continuous dedication" and had done a "great job in building Uniper. I am very pleased that he has agreed to be available for a transitional period."