Hertz names new CEO in midst of effort to avoid bankruptcy

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. promoted the head of its North American car-rental operations to lead the company as its chief executive leaves in the midst of efforts to ward off bankruptcy.

Paul Stone, a Hertz executive vice-president and chief retail operations officer, becomes CEO immediately after the resignation of Kathryn Marinello, according to a statement. The company has until May 22 to restructure lease payments with bondholders and has cast doubt on its ability to pay debt obligations and continue as a going concern.

Marinello, 63, was in the top job for just under 31/2 years, and Stone, 50, will be Hertz’s fifth CEO since 2014.

Hertz shares surged about 20 per cent on the day in New York.

The stock has plunged more than 80 per cent this year.

Before the pandemic hit, Hertz had been gaining some traction under Marinello. Just a week ago on a call with analysts to discuss first-quarter earnings that were worse than expected, the company touted its run of 10 straight quarters of revenue growth and nine straight quarters of higher earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

Marinello inherited a company in trouble when she took over in January 2017. After taking the top job, Marinello set out to freshen Hertz’s fleet by getting rid of unwanted compact cars and family sedans that depreciated faster than more popular crossovers and SUV models. Those efforts resulted in better pricing at the rental counter and in the used-car market, but also saddled Hertz with more debt than rival Avis Budget Group Inc.

It got a forbearance on May 4 to avoid liquidation of its cars. Since then, Hertz has been negotiating with lenders to restructure its finances in court or, if need be, file for bankruptcy protection.