Deutsche Bank chief executive Josef Ackermann this morning told the German bank's shareholders of his sadness at stepping down after a decade at the helm as he prepared to pass the baton to Anshu Jain and Juergen Fitschen after the end of today's annual meeting. But investors are expected to lambast the bank over its handling of succession issues.

Ackermann, who will step down as chairman of Deutsche Bank's managing board at the end of the meeting in Frankfurt's Festhalle Messe, had been due to step onto the group's supervisory board and succeed Clemens Boersig, before withdrawing his candidacy in November last year.