Bernhard Plettner
Encyclopedia
Dr. Ing. e.h. Bernhard Plettner (December 2, 1914 in Oberlahnstein
– November 2, 1997 in Erlangen
) was a German engineer and manager. From 1971 to 1981 he was CEO of Siemens AG
.
Plettner studied electrical engineering
in Darmstadt
. After an internship in 1937 he returned to Siemens-Schuckertwerke in Berlin
in 1940. After World War II
Plettner was especially engaged in restoring the export relations of the firm. Plettner became member of the board of directors of Siemens-Schuckertwerke in 1959 and CEO of this company in 1962. After the merging of Siemens-Schuckertwerke with Siemens & Halske AG he was member of the board of directors of Siemens AG
. In 1971 he was appointed CEO. When he was succeeded by Karlheinz Kaske
in 1981, Plettner became the first chairman of the supervisory board
not to be a member of the Siemens family. He resigned in 1988.
Oberlahnstein
Oberlahnstein is a part of the city of Lahnstein in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It lies on the right bank of the Rhine, at the confluence of the Lahn 4 m. above Koblenz, on the Right Rhine railway from Cologne to Frankfurt-on-Main...
– November 2, 1997 in Erlangen
Erlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
) was a German engineer and manager. From 1971 to 1981 he was CEO of Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
.
Plettner studied electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
. After an internship in 1937 he returned to Siemens-Schuckertwerke in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1940. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Plettner was especially engaged in restoring the export relations of the firm. Plettner became member of the board of directors of Siemens-Schuckertwerke in 1959 and CEO of this company in 1962. After the merging of Siemens-Schuckertwerke with Siemens & Halske AG he was member of the board of directors of Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
. In 1971 he was appointed CEO. When he was succeeded by Karlheinz Kaske
Karlheinz Kaske
Karlheinz Kaske was a German manager and CEO of the Siemens AG from 1981 to 1992.Kaske studied Physics at RWTH Aachen and joined Siemens in 1950, when he became an engineer in the Siemens factory at Karlsruhe...
in 1981, Plettner became the first chairman of the supervisory board
Supervisory board
A supervisory board or supervisory committee, often called board of directors, is a group of individuals chosen by the stockholders of a company to promote their interests through the governance of the company and to hire and supervise the executive directors and CEO.Corporate governance varies...
not to be a member of the Siemens family. He resigned in 1988.