Rothschedl leaves Germany's Solon

Harald Rothschedl, the CFO at Solon AG, resigned on Thursday, April 11. According to Solon, there were »differences of opinion over the way management was being handled.«

His resignation from the management of the German module manufacturer was made immediately effective by mutual agreement with the board of directors. The ad-hoc report, however, was only made public late on the following day, angering shareholders. »The notification could only be made immediately after the resignation of Mr. Rothschedl took effect, that is after both sides had signed,« says Solon spokeswoman Karin Mehnert about the delay. »I was not at liberty to say anything before that.« Rumors were obviously already circulating over Rothschedl's departure, leading to larger than normal sale of shares. On Friday alone, shares worth approximately €200,000 ($174,000) were sold. The€1.18($1.03). Mehnert admits that there could be a suspicion of insider trading and announced an investigation.

Rothschedl joined the Solon board as the successor to Birgit Flore in May 2000. His responsibilities have now been taken over by board chairman Alexander Voigt. According to Mehnert, that is how things will remain: »We're not looking for a replacement at present.«

Anne Kreuzmann
© PHOTON International, May 2002