Hartmut Mehdorn
GermanyBiography of Hartmut Mehdorn
Born on January 31, 1942, in Warsaw, Poland, Hartmut Mehdorn is a German businessman who served as the chairman of the board for the German railway company Deutsche Bahn AG. He received his engineering education in Berlin before beginning his career in various companies such as Focke-Wulf in Bremen, Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke-Fokker GmbH, and Nordwerke (Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm).
From 1979 to 1984, Mehdorn worked for the French company Airbus Industrie S.A. Afterward, he became the head of MBB Transport-und Verkehrsflugzeuge in Hamburg. In 1999, Mehdorn assumed the position of chairman of the board for Deutsche Bahn AG.
However, his tenure as chairman came to an end in 2009 following a scandal that erupted within the company. Deutsche Bahn was accused of monitoring the email communications of its employees. Mehdorn faced heavy criticism when the investigation results were made public. It was revealed that the company regularly monitored the emails of tens of thousands of employees, including not only union leaders but also ordinary employees. Approximately 150,000 electronic messages were filtered daily, and some messages were blocked. For example, in 2007, union calls for employee strikes were blocked.
The publication of this information caused Mehdorn to lose the support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Calls for his resignation came from railroad unions, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and the opposition. It is worth noting that corporate surveillance of employees is not uncommon in today's Germany, becoming a modern reality.
After a press conference where Mehdorn presented the company's performance for 2008, he announced his resignation. Under his leadership, the company achieved overall positive financial results, but his reputation as a leader could not be saved. Therefore, despite the high financial achievements, Mehdorn had to step down.
Mehdorn is married to Hélène Mehdorn, a French woman, and they have three adult children.
