More leadership changes at Hertz as board grows

The Hertz Corp., which has undergone a series of leadership changes this year, is now increasing the size of its board. 

The Estero-based car rental giant announced Tuesday morning it would grow its board from nine members to 11. The two seats were taken by Francis Blake and Lucy Clark Dougherty. 

Courtesy image

Blake is the retired chairman and CEO of The Home Depot and a former General Electric executive; Clark Dougherty is senior vice president, general counsel and board secretary of Polaris Inc. and a former General Motors executive.

Both have government experience as well.

Blake served as general counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Clark Dougherty served in U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where she was chief legal officer and counselor to the secretary of Homeland Security. She also worked in the Executive Office of the President during George W. Bush’s administration according to her LinkedIn profile.

In the statement announcing the additions, board chairman Colin Farmer says Blake and Clark Dougherty “complement the diverse skills and backgrounds of our current board members and will effectively collaborate with them to steer our company toward future success.”

Courtesy image

Hertz, however, did not say why it expanded the board and a spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question about the decision.

Adding to the board of directors is just the latest change the company’s leadership ranks a few years after it emerged from bankruptcy and it scaled back on an ambitious electric vehicle program.

Those changes include naming Gil West CEO in April, its fifth in seven years, and Scott Haralson as chief operating officer, its third in 15 months. The company also named five new executives in July.

Hertz says in the statement that since West took over the company “has recruited a world-class leadership team to execute the company's strategy of delivering sustainable growth and creating value by elevating operational performance across every facet of its business along with a commitment to deliver an unmatched customer experience.”

The appointment of Blake and Clark Dougherty is effective Tuesday though they will not yet be assigned to standing committees, according to the statement.