Shake-up planned at Deutsche Bank

Ackermann, set to take the top seat at Germany's largest bank in six months, wants to scrap the traditional post of speaker of the board. He hopes to becomes a US-style chief executive and create an executive committee that would bypass the Vorstand or management board.

Such a move would represent a radical break with traditional German management structures. Under current rules, German board members share collective responsibility for decisions and the chairman or speaker is no more than first among equals.

But according to people close to Ackermann, he believes that investors want to see a strong, clearly defined role for the head of Deutsche.