Praxair’s Revived Merger Proposal Seen Boosted by Linde Shakeup
- Linde CFO quit after earlier talks failed; CEO to step down
- Combination would leave three global industrial-gas suppliers
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Praxair Inc.’s effort to revive merger talks with Linde AG will probably win greater acceptance from the German company after a recent management shakeup, giving a boost to a potential deal that would create the world’s largest supplier of industrial gases.
Linde Chief Financial Officer Georg Denoke already has left, and Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Buechele won’t stay past April. The management disarray could help Praxair CEO Steve Angel grab the reins of the combined company without having to share leadership with his counterparts at Linde, as was originally planned, said John Roberts, an analyst at UBS Group AG.