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Deutsche Telekom CEO René Obermann leaving by the end of 2013, CFO to take over
Not every CEO makes a graceful exit -- just ask HP. It's clear that Deutsche Telekom chief René Obermann would rather leave on his own terms, as he's orchestrating his departure up to a year before it takes place. The 16-year veteran expects to leave the company before the end of 2013, and the company has already lined up CFO Timotheus Höttges as the replacement at the start of 2014. Obermann says he's leaving to get closer to on-the-ground operations than possible while he's leading a telecom giant. Whether or not that's the full story, he likely won't mind leaving some of DT's uncertainties behind him, including the fallout from the blocked T-Mobile merger with AT&T as well as the long-term fates of both EE's rollout and the MetroPCS acquisition. When the company's Supervisory Board chairman says he wishes Obermann would stay, however, there's little doubting that this CEO transition is happening on friendlier terms than we've known in recent memory.
