More News: Hertz Nixes Plans to Buy Polestar EVs
Two Hertz Execs Leaving Amid Company Troubles
The auto rental giant is hiring a new CFO and COO who are replacing predecessors who have been in the roles for less than a year.

New Hertz CFO Scott Haralson is a seasoned executive and veteran of the transportation industry, having most recently served as CFO of Spirit Airlines.
Photo: Hertz
Hertz announced on June 3 it is losing its chief financial officer and chief operating officer as the reeling auto rental company struggles with fallout from an over-investment in electric vehicles and record low stock price.
The company appointed Scott M. Haralson as CFO, who will start at the end of June. He succeeds Alexandra Brooks, who is leaving to pursue other opportunities after less than a year in the position.
Brooks, who was chief accounting officer and senior vice president at Hertz before taking on the CFO role, will remain until the end of the month to ensure an orderly transition, the company said. Before joining Hertz in June 2020, Brooks was vice president of internal audit at Aptiv PLC, a global technology company, and before that was the CFO for Champion Windows and Home Exteriors, a home improvement company.
Haralson is a seasoned executive and veteran of the transportation industry with over 25 years of leadership and corporate finance experience. He most recently served as CFO of Spirit Airlines, where he helped the company navigate the pandemic and strengthened its financial position, according to a news release. Before Spirit Airlines, Haralson held key financial leadership roles at Dish Network, Frontier Airlines, Swift Aviation Group, and US Airways. He has worked in multiple facets of financial management, including capital markets and capital funding, capital budgeting, strategic planning, forecasting, financial planning and analysis and cost management, and treasury and cash management.
Hertz also announced that COO Justin Keppy resigned effective June 3. He joined the company on Nov. 15, 2023, after leaving the Carrier Corporation where he most recently served as president of North America residential and light commercial HVAC. The company and Keppy “agreed” to the resignation effective immediately, according to a news release.
The sudden departures follow the resignation of Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr on March 31, who was succeeded by Gil West, former COO of Delta Airlines and GM's Cruise unit, as of April 1.
Scherr’s departure came within a few months after Hertz announced a major pullback from its investment in electric vehicles and its largest quarterly earnings loss in three years. Hertz is shedding 30,000 electric vehicles, which amounts to more than one-third of its EV fleet, due to high repair costs and customer resistance.
According to MarketWatch, Hertz’s stock sank 5.28% on June 3, and closed at another record low of $4.13 per share after a Friday close of $4.36 per share. The stock has plunged about 60% year to date.
More Rental Operations

Sixt Revenue Tops $2.4 Billion in First Half of 2026
Sixt’s first-half revenue surpassed $2.4 billion for the first time as demand outpaced fleet growth, lifting utilization and earnings despite weaker consumer sentiment in North America.
Read More →
In Memoriam: Bobby Klyce, Avis Licensee Legend
The longtime Birmingham Avis operator and 2018 Auto Rental News Impact Award recipient was remembered as an advocate for independent licensees and the broader car rental industry.
Read More →How to Build Custom Fleet Tools With AI and Vibe Coding [Webinar]
A new Automotive Fleet webinar explores how fleet managers are using AI and vibe coding to automate routine work and create simple operational tools without traditional programming skills.
Read More →
Car Rental Rates Forecast to Rise 3.6% in 2026 Before Easing in 2027
Car rental rates are projected to rise less than airfares and hotel rates in 2026, then become the only major travel category forecast to decline in 2027, according to projections from GBTA and ALTOUR.
Read More →
Avis Cuts Fleet as Summer Demand Trails Expectations
Avis Budget Group increased second-quarter earnings despite lower Americas revenue and softer-than-expected summer demand. The company also expanded Avis First and advanced its autonomous fleet operations with Waymo.
Read More →
Why Bookings Are Only the Start of the Rental Day
A reservation captures demand. The operating test is whether the business can keep the customer, vehicle, commercial terms, and next action aligned until the rental is closed.
Read More →
This Is the Oldest Car Rental Advertisement You’ll Ever See
This ad for Saunders Drive it Yourself, believed to be the first car rental company in the U.S., was found in an Omaha phone book from 1926.
Read More →
The Desk Upsell Is Costing Operators More Than it Earns
Counter upsells generate revenue, but they can also slow transactions, erode trust, and cost repeat business. Fully inclusive pricing may offer operators a better path to long-term value.
Read More →
U-Save Expands Indian Ocean Presence with New Master Franchise for Mauritius
The franchise has been acquired by Mauritian travel entrepreneur Umarfarooq Omarjee, an established figure in the island's tourism and mobility sector.
Read More →
Global Carsharing Fleet Projected to Reach 768,000 Vehicles By 2030
A new Berg Insight forecast outlines several business models driving the projected growth in public carsharing worldwide through 2029.
Read More →
