Executive Search C-Level in State-Owned Companies: Time for Disruption?!

Thesis 1: Closed circles prevent change

Top positions in state-owned companies such as Deutsche Bahn are usually filled from within the company itself – or given to men with excellent political connections who have followed traditional career paths. The result: existing structures are maintained rather than venturing into new territory.

Thesis 2: Competence in the railway sector is not synonymous with management competence

Knowing the timetables does not make you a transformation manager. What is needed are managers who can master restructuring, manage stakeholders, and implement change even in the face of resistance.

Thesis 3: Disruptive headhunting means consciously searching differently

Instead of always recycling “railway careers,” you should consider career changers:

• Transportation & Logistics Road: Experience with competitive pressure, supply chains, and cost efficiency.
• Aviation: Dealing with safety, regulation, and international complexity.
• Industry 4.0: Large-scale implementation of digitalization and automation.

Thesis 4: Small courageous steps are possible – Korbutt as an example

The passenger association Pro Bahn brings Anna-Theresa Korbutt (HVV managing director) into play. She has demonstrated how clear management leadership can simplify processes and modernize an outdated fare system. This is not a radical break, but an example of how disruptive expertise can also come from local transport-beyond the inner circle of Deutsche Bahn.

Thesis 5: Political control remains the biggest obstacle

As long as positions are awarded based on party affiliation, loyalty, or old boy networks, disruptive headhunting will remain a pipe dream. The “argument” that a manager must have railway experience often serves only to protect the power circles. Male networks and old fraternity traditions still shape this habitus.

Conclusion:

If everything has to change, then someone who works and thinks differently is needed. Disruptive headhunting means not just looking within the industry, but bringing in genuine management expertise from outside. Korbutt's proposal shows that there are alternatives. The question is whether politicians and supervisory boards have the courage to break away from the old networks.