Heymann began his career in his native city of Frankfurt, as an export advertising and promotion manager for Max Braun AG, a manufacturer of audio equipment, household appliances and electric shavers.

CNN: Klaus Heymann profile

To be sure, the telecom equipment manufacturer has been having a rough year, suffering through an accounting scandal, as well as civil and criminal investigations by both American and Canadian officials.

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First Solar brought back Mike Ahearn as an interim chief executive last October after the company had struggled, along with just about every other solar equipment manufacturer worldwide, to deal with a market marked by a glut of solar panels and plummeting solar panel prices.

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