FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Industrials conglomerate Thyssenkrupp TKAG.DE on Friday appointed Peter Walker as the new chief executive of its prized elevators unit, the group said.

Walker joined the unit's management board on Feb. 1 as chief operating officer and succeeds Andreas Schierenbeck as CEO, who left the group on Nov. 30 after the business fell further behind peers, most notably Finland's Kone KNEBV.HE.

Reuters told sources last month that Walker, a company veteran that joined the firm in 1995, was likely to succeed Schierenbeck.