23. September 2025, 11:45 o'Clock
Berlin
Article: Evelyn Palla chosen as new Chair of the Management Board and CEO of Deutsche Bahn AG
At its meeting today, the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bahn AG appointed Evelyn Palla as the new Chair of the Management Board and CEO effective October 1, 2025. The current CEO, Dr. Richard Lutz, will leave the company by mutual agreement on September 30, 2025.
Chairman of the Supervisory Board Werner Gatzer, speaking in Berlin, said: "With her outstanding operational and strategic skills, Evelyn Palla has proven her ability to complete transformation projects with success in her time at leading European corporations, most recently at Deutsche Bahn, which she joined in 2019. She has steered the DB Regio AG business unit from stormy weather to calm waters along with the many people involved, not least the employees who serve millions of customers every day. We are confident that DB can make a successful new start with Evelyn Palla at the helm, and that the agenda for rail customer satisfaction presented by the Federal Ministry of Transport can be implemented promptly."
Supervisory Board Chairman Gatzer also thanked Dr. Richard Lutz for his many years of service to DB: "Richard Lutz has made a definitive impact on the Group's development over a period of more than 30 years, first as a controller and as CFO and, since 2017, as Chairman of the Management Board and CEO. The Strong Rail strategy he implemented has played a crucial part in facilitating the turnaround in Germany's transport policy and has been a guiding light for everyone at DB in times marked by extreme operational challenges. Furthermore, by overseeing the launch of the S3 turnaround program last year, he initiated the restructuring of the Group in the three dimensions infrastructure, operations and profitability and achieved tangible successes early on. On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I would like to thank Richard Lutz for his service to DB."
On August 14, 2025, Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder, Chairman of the Supervisory Board Werner Gatzer and Chairman of the Management Board and CEO Richard Lutz had reached an amicable agreement to terminate the latter's contract prematurely. It was agreed that Richard Lutz would remain in the top position until a successor was found.
Evelyn Palla, born in the South Tyrol region of northern Italy in 1973, began her career at Infineon Technologies AG in 1997. In 2003, she joined E.ON AG, where she worked in Munich, Cologne and Milan. In 2011, Palla moved to ÖBB, Austrian Federal Railways, in Vienna. She became Member of the Board for Regional Transport at ÖBB Personenverkehr AG in 2015. From this time onward, she also held the position of Chair of the Supervisory Board of ÖBB Postbus AG. Palla started at Deutsche Bahn in February 2019 as the CFO of DB Fernverkehr AG. In July 2022, she was appointed Member of the Board for Regional Transport at Deutsche Bahn AG.
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