Airbus SE — Board/Management Information 2007

Jul 16, 2007

News Details

Ad-hoc | 16 July 2007 11:39

EADS – Changes in management and leadership structure

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company / Change of Personnel

Release of an Ad hoc announcement according to § 15 WpHG, transmitted by
DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

---

Ad-hoc release, 16 July 2007

EADS – Changes in management and leadership structure

Changes in management and leadership structure of EADS

• Rüdiger Grube to be sole Chairman of the Board of Directors
• Louis Gallois to be sole CEO of EADS
• Thomas Enders to be CEO of Airbus
• Fabrice Brégier to be COO of Airbus
• Number of independent members on the Board of Directors to be increased

EADS shareholders have decided – together with the EADS management team –
to modify the company’s current management and leadership structure.
Guiding principles of the modification are efficiency, cohesiveness and
simplification of EADS management and leadership structure, towards
governance best practices and in the respect of balance between the French
and the German shareholders. The German Government has been consulted as
well.

Under the simplified management structure, EADS will be led by a single
Chairman and a single CEO.

Rüdiger Grube will assume the position of sole Chairman of the Board of
Directors of EADS. In this role, he will be responsible for overseeing the
Group’s strategic development and dealings with its Shareholders. In
particular, he will chair the newly created EADS strategic committee.

Louis Gallois will assume the position of sole CEO of EADS. In this
role, he will be responsible for leading the management team in the
execution of the Group’s strategy and managing the company’s interaction
with public shareholders.

Thomas Enders will assume the position of CEO of Airbus in the Toulouse
headquarters of the company, reporting to the CEO of EADS. He will be
supported by Fabrice Brégier as COO of Airbus.

The Shareholders have also concluded that it is in the best interest of the
Group to recommend an increase in the number of independent members on the
Board of Directors to appropriately reflect the global profile of EADS by
conforming to international corporate governance best practices.

As part of this proposal both DaimlerChrysler and French holding company,
Sogeade, will each relinquish two seats on the Board of Directors. The
Board will propose at the next shareholders meeting the election of four
independent directors, who will join the Chairman, the CEO, two
representatives from DaimlerChrysler, two representatives from Sogeade and
one representative from SEPI on the future Board of Directors of EADS.
Apart from the CEO, the Board will no longer comprise executive directors.

EADS and its Shareholders believe that this redesigned Board structure
enables a continued close working relationship among existing Board members
while providing the Group with the additional benefit of the experience and
independent perspective that the new members will bring to their
responsibilities. The EADS CEO and his Executive Committee will have more
leeway in the day-to-day management of the company: in particular,
investments below €350M become its sole responsibility, as well as for the
appointment of the management teams of EADS main subsidiaries and business
units, save for Airbus CEO and EADS Executive committee, whose appointment
will be decided by EADS CEO, EADS Chairman and the Board.

The Board of Directors’ decisions will be taken on a simple majority vote,
save for a limited list of reserved matters (including appointment of
Chairman, EADS CEO and Airbus CEO and major strategic or investment
decisions), which will require approval by Sogeade and DaimlerChrysler
directors.

The management appointments at EADS will adhere to the principles of the
'best man for the job' while at the same time maintaining the balance and
diversity of the Group, consistent with its heritage and founding
shareholders.

These modifications will reinforce the efficiency of the group and
contribute to strengthen its position as a global leader of the aeronautics
and defence industry. They will be fully implemented and become effective
from an EADS shareholders’ general meeting to take place during the fourth
quarter of 2007.

Since its formation in 2000, EADS has been a symbol of successful European
industrial cooperation in one of the most competitive industries globally.
For the past seven years, the dual-headed management structure with two
Co-Chairmen and two co-CEOs has provided the necessary balance and
stability required by a company with such a unique industrial heritage. It
has allowed the Group to achieve outstanding results and overcome major
technological challenges that are an inherent aspect of progress and
innovation. However, the Shareholders and EADS’ leadership have concluded
that a simplified management structure is now more appropriate to provide
the unified leadership needed for the next phase of the Group’s
development.

EADS’ industrial shareholders, DaimlerChrysler and Lagardère, and the
French, German and Spanish Governments, remain fully committed to the Group
and firmly believe that this simplified management structure will provide a
framework for effective corporate governance and continued future success.

Contact:
Alexander Reinhardt +49 89 60 73 42 35
DGAP 16.07.2007

---

Language: English
Issuer: European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company
Beechavenue 130-132
1119 PR Schiphol Rijk Niederlande
Phone: 00 800 00 02 2002
Fax: +49 (0)89 607 - 26481
E-mail: ir@eads.net
Internet: www.eads.com
ISIN: NL0000235190
WKN: 938914
Indices: MDAX
Listed: Amtlicher Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in
Berlin, Hannover, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, München, Stuttgart

End of News DGAP News-Service

---