The supervisory board on Friday accepted the sudden resignation of chief executive Heinrich Hiesinger, who had led Thyssenkrupp since January 2011, just days after he sealed a steel joint venture deal with Tata Steel.

Thyssenkrupp said the remaining management board, comprising Guido Kerkhoff, Oliver Burkhard and Donatus Kaufmann, would lead the group without a CEO for the time being.

Thyssenkrupp declined to comment.

Kerkhoff joined Thyssenkrupp from Deutsche Telekom in 2011.

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; editing by Jason Neely)