Change in management and clear majorities at the 2025 Annual General Meeting of Ernst Russ AG

• All agenda items resolved in line with the management proposals
• Regular election of the Supervisory Board
• Expansion of the Executive Board

Hamburg, May 26, 2025 – At the Annual General Meeting of Ernst Russ AG, which took place on May 23, 2025, in Hamburg, the shareholders honored the successful business performance in 2024 and expressed their confidence in the Executive and Supervisory Board. All items on the agenda were resolved by a large majority in favor of the management proposals.

The Annual General Meeting re-elected Harald Christ as a member of the Supervisory Board. Jan Döhle succeeds Robert Lorenz-Meyer, who did not wish to stand for re-election to the Supervisory Board.

Another personnel change announced at the Annual General Meeting was that Dr. Christopher Eilers (43) will join the Executive Board of Ernst Russ AG from August 1, 2025. Dr. Eilers has many years of experience as a managing director in the areas of investment management and asset financing.

The acting CEO Robert Gärtner (69) will retire and leave the company at his own request on August 31, 2025. Under his leadership, the Ernst Russ Group expanded its fleet in recent years to currently 26 fully consolidated vessels, significantly increased its key earnings figures and considerably strengthened its equity base. In future, the current Chief Commercial Officer Joseph Schuchmann and Chief Financial Officer Dr. Christopher Eilers will jointly manage the company as co-CEOs in addition to their areas of responsibility.

Harald Christ, Chairman of the Supervisory Board: ”I would like to thank Robert Gärtner for his many years of successful work for our company. I am delighted that we have been able to recruit Christopher Eilers as a new Executive Board member for our company. His extensive experience in investment management and asset financing, coupled with Joseph Schuchmann´s excellent shipping expertise, will be a decisive factor in the strategic development of our company.“

About the ER-Group:

Ernst Russ AG is a publicly listed, internationally operating ship-owner based in Hamburg. Parts of the company’s history date back to 1893. The Group currently manages a fleet of 26 vessels, some in collaboration with strategic partners. The focus is on container vessels ranging from 700 to 4,200 TEU, complemented by a larger 13,400 TEU container vessel, a Handysize bulker, and a multipurpose vessel. The goal is to operate a sustainable fleet with well-diversified employment durations.

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