Roland Berger Chief Executive Martin Wittig backs down

The CEO of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants Martin Wittig (49) has resigned as CEO of the German strategy consulting firm. This he announced during an international partner meeting last Saturday. Cause for the resignation was his deteriorating health. Wittig is followed by Burkhard Schwenker, who already stood from 2003 to 2010 at the company's peak and since then served as Chairman.

On Saturday, May 4, 2013 the 220 worldwide Roland Berger Partners came together in Frankfurt for their biannual meeting. Wittig indicated an urgent need to take a break in order to undergo medical treatment that can no longer be postponed.  "But I'm confident to be back in perfect health afterwards" he added. In a press release Roland Berger states that Wittig has withdrawn "from all business activities for some months". He will return as a 'regular' partner later this year and most probably will take on the role of Managing Director for the Swiss offices.

Future strategic options

Over the past weeks Wittig was extremely busy managing the strategic future of the German consulting firm. According to several media reports Roland Berger finds itself on a crossroad: either continuing independently or selling itself to a large consulting firm. Big 4 firms, in particular Deloitte and PwC, have continuously been linked to poaching the prestigious firm. Successor Schwenker will now lead the firm through its current strategic assessment of future strategic options and any potential negotiations.