Credit: REUTERS/MICHAELA REHLETalks with steel CEO Goss not concluded yet - spokesman
Goss was due to lead failed JV with Tata Steel
Goss led Thyssenkrupp's steel unit since 2014
Adds spokesman comments, context
DUESSELDORF, Germany, May 27 (Reuters) - Thyssenkrupp TKAG.DE on Monday said it was in talks with the CEO of its steel division to end his contract, less than three weeks after the Germany group dropped plans merge the business with Tata Steel's TISC.NS European division.
Thyssenkrupp and Tata abandoned the planned steel venture, saying they were not prepared to offer more concessions to European regulators. Thyssenkrupp instead opted to pursue a listing of its prized elevators business.
"Since the steel joint venture with Tata Steel has not come to pass it is now about setting up Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe in a sustainable way," a spokesman said, adding this included talks with unit CEO Andreas Goss about ending his contract.
The spokesman said the talks with Goss, who joined Thyssenkrupp's steel business as finance chief in 2012 and became its CEO 2014, had not been concluded yet.
Goss would have headed the combined joint venture with Tata Steel.
His departure would mark the latest in a string of senior management changes at Thyssenkrupp. The company has been through a turbulent period in the last twelve months, during which the CEO and chairman resigned and the group issued three profit warnings.
Steel producers in Europe have been hit by falling demand in the past few months. Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe's second-quarter adjusted operating profit plunged 81 percent to 37 million euros ($41.41 million).
($1 = 0.8935 euros)
(Reporting by Matthias Inverardi; Writing by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Arno Schuetze and Jane Merriman)
((christoph.steitz@thomsonreuters.com; +49 69 7565 1269; Reuters Messaging: christoph.steitz.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
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