Deals

‘Dear Mr. Singer’: The Strange Letter That Cost a CEO His Job

Ex-Arconic chief sent activist Singer ‘souvenir’ soccer ball
Elliott has denied implications of CEO’s ‘threatening’ letter

Klaus Kleinfeld.
Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg

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By Beth Jinks

April 20, 2017 at 1:46 AM UTC

Updated on

April 20, 2017 at 3:02 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The letter to billionaire investor Paul Singer was unusual, to say the least. Stranger still was the accompanying gift: an Adidas soccer ball.

Klaus Kleinfeld’s personal message -- full of innuendos about Singer’s supposed partying in Berlin during the 2006 soccer World Cup -- was made public late Wednesday, days after he stepped down as Arconic Inc. chief executive officer as the board said he’d shown ‘‘poor judgment.’’