With controversy swirling and a criminal investigation looming over his company's role in surveillance of board members and an investor, Deutsche Bank's Josef Ackermann is the latest chief executive in Germany to get an uncomfortable reminder of how seriously the country takes any whiff of corporate spying.
René Obermann, Deutsche Telekom's chief, faced a torrid time last year after the former state telephone company admitted it misused call records to try to check up on possible leaks of sensitive information.
Hartmut Mehdorn, chief executive of Deutsche Bahn, quit this year after an outcry over misuse of data involving tens of thousands of employees to try to stop corruption at the railway operator.