Volkswagen compliance chief to leave board after disagreement

[January 26, 2017]  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The compliance chief brought in to help Volkswagen  recover from its emissions scandal is leaving the management board at the end of this month following differences of opinion over her role, the German carmaker said on Thursday.

The Volkswagen logo is seen at the company's display during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 10, 2017. REUTERS/Mark Blinch

Volkswagen (VW) said Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt, hired just over a year ago from rival Daimler <DAIGn.DE>, was leaving the board by mutual consent, confirming a report in the Handelsblatt newspaper.

She was leaving the board "due to differences in their understanding of responsibilities and future operating structures within the function she leads", VW said in a statement, without being more specific.

VW agreed this month to pay $4.3 billion in U.S. civil and criminal fines, making it the largest ever U.S. criminal fine levied on an automaker, to settle charges it conspired for nearly 10 years to cheat on diesel emission tests.

VW named Hiltrud Werner, head of group auditing, to take over Hohmann-Dennhardt's post.

"Volkswagen will continue to press forward with changes to its way of thinking and working," it said.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Harro ten Wolde and Mark Potter)

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