Tuesday 29 November 2022 02:36 PM Finance boss of car dealership Inchcape QUITS after 'making remark about women' trends now
The finance boss of car dealership Inchcape has crashed out of his job after ill-judged remarks at a company event – but will be cushioned by a £610,000 payout.
Gijsbert de Zoeten, the chief financial officer, resigned after 'a lapse in judgment' in which he 'displayed personal behaviour falling short of the high standards expected', the company said.
A source said it was a remark about women at an event for its leadership group in Texas which 'ten years ago wouldn't have been considered that unusual'.
Inchcape said yesterday that De Zoeten 'has voluntarily tendered his resignation and will be standing down from the board with immediate effect' after just over three years at one of Britain's biggest motor dealership chains, which celebrates its 175th anniversary this year.
Inchcape said Gijsbert de Zoeten (pictured) exhibited behaviour that was 'short of the high standards expected of the leadership'
The FTSE 250 business did not go into detail about his departure, such as where the alleged misconduct occurred.
It is understood the alleged incident was verbal and happened at an event where alcohol was being served - though it is not known if Mr de Zoeten had consumed any alcohol at the event, according to the Telegraph.
Last week Inchcape posted an image on its LinkedIn page of its leadership team at a gathering in Austin, Texas, which included De Zoeten.
The caption on the post said: 'This week our global leadership team came from all over the world to Austin, TX to share strategy and storytelling.
'The conversations have been as dynamic and exciting as our brilliant industry, and our leaders are ready to bring their stories back to their markets and functions in the coming weeks.
'Thank you to everyone who contributed with such enthusiasm, energy and open mindedness over the weekend as we write Inchcape's next chapter to Accelerate Our Ambition!'
