"Of course I have some ideas but it's too early to talk about that," he told analysts during a conference call on Friday after warning that restructuring of the PeP division would weigh on group earnings this year.

Appel moved PeP's former chief Juergen Gerdes to another unit in April and took over leadership of the division himself before devising a plan to cut its costs and invest in productivity increases.

"I will now help this organisation to shine as it did in the past... They deserve that I take responsibility but of course I will not do that job forever," he said, without saying when he would pick a new divisional chief.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Christoph Steitz)