German utility company RWE AG's (RWE.XE) supervisory board chairman Manfred Schneider expects his successor will be named by the middle of next year, adding Allianz SE (ALV.XE) executive board member Paul Achleitner could be a possible candidate, German newspaper Handelsblatt reports in a preview of an article to be published Friday.

The report didn't say whether Schneider further commented on a possible time frame for handing over to a successor. His term as chief supervisor of RWE ends ahead of the company's annual general meeting 2016.

Allianz executive Achleitner, who also is the designated supervisory board member of Deutsche Bank AG (DB), "is without doubt a potential candidate" for chairman of RWE, Schneider tells the paper.

Newspaper website: www.handelsblatt.com

-Frankfurt Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; 49-69-29725-500.