In the five months E.ON discussed the main aspects of the organizational architecture for the future E.ON and the new company and has now reached decisions.
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It also defined new management structures for them that reflect their respective strategic challenges. Under these structures, both companies will have four management board functions: a CEO, a CFO, and two operating functions.
The future E.ON will have a chief markets officer (CMO) who will oversee the development of new products and innovative solutions as well as the renewables business, which will be directly integrated into the company's future portfolio of products and services.
A chief regions officer (CRO) will be responsible for the existing sales and distribution network businesses in E.ON's various national markets. The new company will have a Chief Operating Officer (COO), who will oversee the operation of technical assets, and a Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), who will be responsible for marketing the company's production and for energy trading.
E.ON will focus on three core businesses: renewables, energy networks, and customer solutions. The interplay between these businesses will enable E.ON to package solutions for the new energy world, such as sustainable offerings for cities and custom-tailored products and services for industrial customers.
In addition, it will develop and expand its activities in marketing, technical innovation, digitalization, and energy solutions; these activities will be centrally managed under the leadership of a new Management Board function.
The company's global renewables business, which is managed by E.ON Climate & Renewables, will be further strengthened. E.ON will manage its distribution-network and sales operations through regional units that are close to their markets and customers.
The new company, whose core businesses are conventional power generation, energy trading, and exploration and production (E&P), will begin operations at the start of 2016 under the name Uniper. The name, which stands for "unique performance," underscores the company's outstanding capabilities and expertise.
It was suggested by an employee and emerged as the winner over the roughly 3,000 ideas considered. This employee has been with the company for many years and works at a subsidiary that will be part of Uniper.
The spinoff encompasses E.ON's activities in the conventional energy world, from technical asset management to energy trading. These activities will be closely meshed and managed from a single location by means of an integrated management model.
The E.ON supervisory board made decisions about the planned distribution of board roles and appointed E.ON's future leadership team.
All of E.ON headquarters functions will be located at the company's Brüsseler Platz office tower in south Essen, which will provide an optimal work environment for all staff in the Rhine-Ruhr region assigned to the future E.ON. There is also the possibility that it could house an R&D team for product innovation.
Uniper will take over all offices in Düsseldorf currently used by E.ON and will have its headquarters in the city's harbor district. This office building and the current corporate headquarters at E.ON-Platz will house Uniper's main management units as well as its administrative and support functions. The company's engineering activities and asset services will remain in Gelsenkirchen, its nuclear energy unit and IT services in Hanover. ■