Manager of Italy's MFE to join ProSiebenSat.1 supervisory board

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Italy's MediaForEurope will obtain a seat on the supervisory board of media group ProSiebenSat.1, according to an invitation to the German company's annual shareholder meeting released on Wednesday.

Katharina Behrends, who has been MFE's manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland since last year, based in Munich, is to join the supervisory board at the shareholder meeting on June 30, the invitation showed.

Previously known as Mediaset and controlled by the family of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, MFE has built a stake of nearly 30% in ProSiebenSat.1 as part of its European expansion strategy. It has long sought a representation on the supervisory board.

As the top shareholder, MFE has expressed concern about developments at ProSiebenSat.1 whose new management has announced job cuts and a change in strategy.

ProSiebenSat.1 will get a total of four new supervisory board members. Among them are Thomas Ingelfinger, a former board member at Beiersdorf AG who is officially an independent candidate but is widely seen as being close to MFE.

(Reporting by Alexander Huebner in Munich; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Matthew Lewis)