Dutch express delivery company TNT Express said it has accepted the resignation of its CEO, Marie-Christine Lombard, but stressed that her departure would not impact on the planned takeover of the company by rival UPS.
Lombard will leave Hoofddorp, Netherlands-based TNT Express by the end of September “to pursue an external career opportunity,” an official company statement said.
The current CFO, Bernard Bot, will take over as interim CEO, supported and guided by Mary Harris, a member of the company’s supervisory board.
Antony Burgmans, chairman of the supervisory board, said her resignation “has no bearing on the intended merger with UPS, which we expect to complete in early 2013.”
Moreover, Burgmans added, the underlying business remains robust and continues to be well managed by an experienced management board. “We have complete confidence in Bernard’s ability to lead the business and to see through the merger with UPS.”
Atlanta-based UPS, the world’s largest express delivery company, made a EUR5.16 billion (US$6.28 billion) acquisition offer to TNT Express in March this year, a move that would give it a dominant position in the European market.
But approval by the European Commission of the proposed merger has dragged, as the commission continues its thorough review of the plan amid worries of antitrust violations. The acquisition will reduce to three the top four players in the European express delivery sector. The two others are DHL Express and FedEx Express.
