Hertz Adds Two Board Directors in Year of Corporate Changes

The auto rental company expands its board from nine to 11 members in a continuing shift since 2023 to new executives and leaders.

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August 28, 2024

Hertz Adds Two Board Directors in Year of Corporate Changes — The Hertz Corporation, a subsidiary of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., operates the Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty vehicle rental brands throughout North America, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The Hertz Corporation is one of the largest worldwide vehicle rental companies.
Graphic: Hertz

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Hertz appointed two new board directors Aug. 27 with leadership experience at major corporations. The additions increase the size of the board from nine to 11 members:

Lucy Clark Dougherty joined Polaris in January 2018 as senior vice president – general counsel, compliance officer, and board secretary. Prior to Polaris, she held several leadership roles at General Motors. She also served in the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office of the President, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Photo: Hertz

Francis “Frank” Blake is the retired chairman and CEO of The Home Depot, former non-executive chairman of Delta Air Lines, former deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy, former general counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and a longtime executive at General Electric.

Lucy Clark Dougherty is senior vice president, general counsel and Board secretary of Polaris Inc. She formerly served as deputy general counsel at General Motors and chief legal officer and counselor to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Frank Blake served as chairman and CEO of The Home Depot from January 2007 through November 2014, and then as chairman through January 2015. He joined Home Depot in 2002 as executive vice president, business development and corporate operations. He previously served as deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy and in a variety of executive roles at General Electric. Blake's public sector experience includes having served as general counsel for the EPA, deputy counsel to Vice President George Bush, and law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
Photo: Hertz

Hertz Chairman of the Board Colin Farmer said in a news release the two new directors bring decades of private and public sector experience.

"Frank's distinguished career spans across business, government and law – including two decades of proven success on corporate boards. Lucy offers a wealth of expertise in driving business transformation, innovation and strategy – along with extensive experience advising boards," Farmer said.

"Together, they complement the diverse skills and backgrounds of our current board members and will effectively collaborate with them to steer our company toward future success."

In joining the Hertz Board, Blake and Clark Dougherty at first will not be assigned to standing committees of the board.

The board expansion follows a period of executive upheaval and financial fallout from a push into electric rental cars:

Hertz announced a team of new executives on July 8 who will fulfill leadership and oversight roles in key areas of operations.
Hertz announced June 3 the departures of its chief financial officer and chief operating officer.
Hertz CEO Stephen Sherr stepped down in late March and the company replaced him with Gil West on April 1.
Hertz' previous president and COO departed in September 202 and hired a new COO the following month.
Hertz' previous CFO left the company in March 2023.