Elia Group Chief Executive Bernard Gustin has been elected chairman of the newly restructured supervisory board of German transmission system operator 50Hertz, following an expansion of the board to 12 members.
The restructuring aligns with the requirements of Germany’s Co-Determination Act, triggered after the company’s workforce surpassed 2,000 employees. The new board maintains parity between employer and employee representatives.
Konrad Klingenburg of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) was named deputy chairman, based on a nomination by the IG BCE trade union.
“The newly structured supervisory board reflects our commitment to balanced governance and employee representation,” 50Hertz said in a statement.
Gustin, representing majority shareholder Elia Group, said the company plays a key role in Germany’s energy transition.
“50Hertz is a successful company and is shaping the energy transition in Germany with high investments and innovations,” he said. “The Elia Group, as the majority shareholder, brings a European perspective and strategic and financial strengths to steer this course sustainably.”
Gustin is joined on the employer side by Elia Group Chief Financial Officer Marco Nix, Chief Alignment Officer Peter Michiels, Eurogrid International CEO Bert Maes, KfW Banking Group Secretary General Lutz-Christian Funke, and Hamburger Energienetze Managing Director Gabriele Eggers.
Employee representatives include Klingenburg, IG BCE’s Constanze Clodius, 50Hertz General Works Council Chair Andrea Ludwig and Deputy Chair Ralf Schloms, Head of Accounting Andrea Mink, and Head of Business Controlling Janin Winkler.
Klingenburg welcomed the opportunity to influence the company’s strategic direction amid evolving energy sector challenges.
“I am looking forward to actively shaping the strategic direction of 50Hertz on the newly constituted supervisory board, especially in view of the volatile framework conditions of the energy transition,” he said.
50Hertz operates more than 10,000 kilometres of extra-high-voltage grid infrastructure across eastern and northern Germany, supplying electricity to around 18 million people. The company is targeting full integration of renewable energy by 2032.
Shareholders of 50Hertz include Elia Group, which holds an 80% stake via Eurogrid International, and Germany’s state-owned KfW Banking Group, which holds the remaining 20% through Selent Netzbetreiber.
