FRANKFURT, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Bodo Uebber, finance chief at DaimlerChrysler's services division, is earmarked to replace Manfred Gentz as the carmaker's chief financial officer at the end of 2004, a German magazine reported on Saturday.
The 44-yearold Uebber, already slated to join the group's management board in December as head of its financial services unit, has the backing of supervisory board boss Hilmar Kopper to take over as CFO when Gentz's contract expires at the end of 2004, German weekly Der Spiegel reported.
A DaimlerChrysler spokesman declined to comment on the report saying that no decision had yet been reached.
Analysts welcomed news earlier this year that Gentz, who has a reputation for communicating well with financial markets, had seen his contract extended until the end of next year.
Kopper would also propose to fellow supervisory board members that Chief Executive Juergen Schrempp has his contract, which is due to expire in April 2005, extended by two years, the magazine said in a pre-released article due to appear in next week's magazine.
Wolfgang Bernhard, currently chief operating officer at the group's U.S. Chrysler division, would be proposed as a replacement for Mercedes boss Juergen Hubbert who is due to retire in April 2005 according to Der Spiegel.
Meanwhile former Deutsche Bank boss Kopper wants to say on as Daimler's supervisory board head beyond 2004, the magazine reported.