Bill Anderson (Bayer) takes first place in the CEO Impact Ranking for Q1 2024

Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer AG, leads the CEO Impact Ranking for the first quarter of 2024 for the first time. The US-American was already ranked second in the fourth quarter 2023 and now dethroned Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen and Porsche and most recently best-placed in the annual CEO Impact Ranking 2023. Blume, who is the only top manager to head two DAX companies, secured second place. The top three DAX40 CEOs are completed by Christian Sewing, CEO of Deutsche Bank. For the ranking, UNICEPTA analyzes the media impact of the CEOs and chairmen of all DAX40 companies on a quarterly basis and also in a year-end ranking. As part of a multi-stage analysis, the Cologne-based media intelligence experts evaluate the reporting of 116 print and online media and compile the ranking from a reach-based index score based on the weighting factors probability of reception, focus and tonality.

The year 2024 is off to a turbulent start, and not just in global politics. There is also a lot of movement in the German economy and industry. Corporate CEOs are perhaps more than ever in the public spotlight. And the race for first place in the UNICEPTA CEO Impact Ranking is also on the move again. In April 2023, Bill Anderson succeeded his predecessor Werner Baumann, who retired in May 2023 after 35 years of service. At the Capital Markets Day in March 2024, the US American announced his plans to change the Group's strategy. In order to improve the company's performance and at the same time efficiently reduce debt, Anderson wants to focus on the DSO (Distribution System Operator) model in future. He also made it clear to investors and shareholders that there are no plans to split up the Group for the time being.

In January, the Handelsblatt reported on the resulting job cuts: "Bayer CEO Bill Anderson has taken a decisive step in his announced radical restructuring plan for the Group organization. The Management Board agreed with the Works Council on the main features of a program for the future of Bayer, the company announced." Anderson has declared that his main objective is to put the chemicals and pharmaceuticals group back on a strong economic footing and has made it clear that a split-up is not envisaged for the time being. "The Group is burdened by high debts and expensive lawsuits relating to the weedkiller glyphosate - a billion-euro loss was incurred in 2023. However, CEO Bill Anderson is not aiming for a split for the time being," writes Die Welt.

Oliver Blume (Volkswagen / Porsche) in second place, Christian Sewing (Deutsche Bank) follows in third place

In 2023, Oliver Blume was only knocked off the top spot and out of the top 3 for the first time in Q4, but still secured first place in the UNICEPTA annual ranking as the CEO with the greatest media impact in Germany. In the first quarter of 2024, however, the radiance of another CEO is greater. Blume made headlines at the beginning of the year with the automotive group's planned cost-cutting measures. The Handelsblatt writes "At the end of December, the management team around CEO Oliver Blume and brand manager Thomas Schäfer agreed a savings package for the Volkswagen brand worth ten billion euros with the Works Council. This will run until 2026, and four of the ten billion euros are already intended to sustainably improve earnings this year." VW is still struggling overseas and in the important growth markets in Asia. Wirtschaftswoche reported in January: "Picky Chinese buyers, however, preferred domestic brands [BYD] before the price cuts, partly because they offered them more in terms of internet connectivity." And the Wolfsburg-based company has been sharply criticized by US congressmen for its links to the Chinese state-owned company Saic, with which it operates a joint plant. "The work in the provincial capital Urumqi must be stopped by VM at all costs," writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

The CEO of Deutsche Bank, Christian Sewing, rounds off the top 3 for the first quarter of the year. The top manager attracted attention in January and February with convincing business results. "Sewing has also managed to set a new tone at Deutsche Bank. Since taking office in 2018, the native of East Westphalia has succeeded in bringing the bank closer to its core clientele again," says the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. It also reports on the Group's unprecedented positioning against the right. "At his bank's reception in the capital, the bank manager took a clearer stance against right-wing populists than ever before. He not only warned of the risk that a president could be elected in America who focuses on isolation and that far-right parties could make a splash in the European elections, but also attacked the AfD by name and unequivocally: 'Right-wing populists and extremists not only divide society, their concepts also lead directly to economic decline'."

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger and Guillaume Faury (Airbus) secure 4th and 5th place respectively

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, made headlines in the first quarter with several interviews in high-profile media. In the wake of the war in Ukraine and the tensions in the Middle East conflict, the image of the armaments company is currently experiencing a turnaround. Tagesschau and Tagesspiegel asked the 61-year-old about the company's strong growth and the change in public perception. "We are now entering a growth phase that is expected to be between 20 and 30 percent over the next few years," Papperger told Tagesschau. In the Tagesspiegel, he explained why it is particularly important for his employees that a shift in perception is currently taking place in society: "I have always been convinced that we are doing the right thing, namely making a contribution to protecting Germany, Europe and NATO. Our employees in particular have suffered from this social mood. I am therefore all the happier to see how much this has changed."

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury makes a leap into the top 5, confidently backs NATO and rejects critical comments made by former US President Trump in March. "What Donald Trump said about NATO is a cause for concern because it is an essential part of our security. We cannot weaken it," Le Monde quotes.

The other positions in the top 10 ranking: Manfred Knof (Commerzbank, 6th place), Ola Källenius (Mercedes-Benz, 7th place), Martin Brudermüller (BASF, 8th place), Theodor Weimer (Deutsche Börse, 9th place) and Markus Krebber (RWE, 10th place).

For the CEO Impact Ranking in the first quarter of 2024, UNICEPTA analyzed 1,812 articles from 116 German and international print and online sources published from January to March 2024. The ranking is based on results from the UNICEPTA "DAX Benchmark". The media intelligence provider uses this to continuously record the media presence of all DAX companies and their CEOs as well as the probability of reception, focus and tonality of media coverage.