Latvia, Railways, Transport

After LDz CEO Edvins Berzins and management board member Aivars Straksas stepped down on August 12, Kleinbergs and Andris Lubans took office as interim members of the LDz management board.

Eriks Smuksts and Ainis Sturmanis have stayed on as members of the LDz management board.

Kleinbergs has held the positions of board chairman and CEO of Schenker logistics company and board chairman of Latvijas Pasts national postal company, director at Baltic Logistics Solutions, logistics director at Avers Centrs and headed the Latvian office of the transport and logistics company Kuehne&Nagel Latvija.

Lubans has chaired the Latvian association of international truckers Latvijas Auto (Latvian Auto) and headed the office of the director of Riga City Council’s Transport Department. From 2014 to 2017 he was CEO of Pasazieru Vilciens rail passenger carrier and from 2012 to 2014 headed the Transport Ministry’s Road Transport Department.

As reported, on May 7, Transport Minister Talis Linkaits (New Conservative Party) expressed no confidence in Berzins and two other members of the LDz management board - Aivars Straksas and Sturmanis - and urged the company's supervisory board to remove them from their positions.

The minister informed that his criticism was mainly related to suspected crippling of competition, which can result in grave consequences both for LDz and Latvia. The minister said he had also obtained information about allegedly corruptive deals.

On July 25, the supervisory board of the state-owned railroad company Latvijas Dzelzcels agreed to terminate employment contracts with the company's management board chairman Edvins Berzins and board member Aivars Straksas.

Latvijas Dzelzcels is a fully state-owned enterprise managing public railway infrastructure. It is the leading company of the LDz Group, which includes six subsidiaries.