BERLIN (Reuters) - Daimler's (>> Daimler AG) CEO Dieter Zetsche has won backing from the company's chairman and its powerful labour representatives to remain in his post until 2019, making it more likely old-guard executives will lose out to younger managers next time the post is up for grabs.

Supervisory board chairman Manfred Bischoff told shareholders at Wednesday's annual general meeting in Berlin that he favours Zetsche for another three-year term.

"I can tell you that from today's perspective it is absolutely the intention of the supervisory board to extend Mr Zetsche's appointment by a further three years at the appropriate time," Bischoff said.

The sentiment was echoed by Michael Brecht, head of Daimler's powerful works council, a body which vetoed a previous attempt at extending Zetsche's contract by five years back in 2013.

"The labour side shares the intention of the supervisory board to extend Dr. Zetsche's contract," Brecht said in an e-mailed statement.

Labour representatives on the 20-member supervisory board control half the seats, giving them a veto over senior appointments at the Stuttgart-based car and truck maker.

Zetsche's extension, which will be formalised next year, could rule out trucks division head Wolfgang Bernhard, China boss Hubertus Troska and finance chief Bodo Uebber as potential successors. All three will be close to 60 years old in 2019, when Daimler would choose its next chief executive.

As a result, the role is likely to fall to a member of a younger generation of managers, including sales chief Ola Kaellenius and two other executives in their late forties: Markus Schaefer and Klaus Zehender, who run manufacturing and procurement respectively at Mercedes-Benz.

Daimler's product momentum, improving profits and the defection of Mercedes-Benz production chief Andreas Renschler to Volkswagen (>> Volkswagen AG) have worked in favour of Zetsche, whose contract was extended by a lower than expected three years in 2013 under pressure from the company's powerful labour representatives.

(Editing by Christoph Steitz and Elaine Hardcastle)

By Ilona Wissenbach

Stocks treated in this article : Daimler AG, Volkswagen AG