07 July 2023

Long standing Pendragon COO Martin Casha has quit Pendragon and is to join Marshall Motor Group as CEO later this year.

Casha is one of Pendragon’s longest serving directors and employees having spent his entire career with Pendragon businesses. He became operations director in September 1995 and chief operating officer in November 2001.

Mashall Motors has been without a CEO since the departure of Daksh Gupta more than a year ago. In the same period Marshall Motors has also lost its finance director Richard Blumberger, company secretary Stephen Jones and most recently HR director Jo Moxon.

Casha’s departure follows a shareholder revolt a week ago when only 59.8% voted to re-elect Casha to the Pendragon board, fractionally better than CEO Bill Berman’s 58.1%. The departure also follows Pendragon’s chairman Ian Filby who, last month, announced he was to step down after less than two years in the role.

In a Stock Exchange statement, Pendragon said: “In order to simplify the company’s organisational structure, Martin’s role will not be replaced and his reporting lines will be re-distributed across the senior leadership team. Martin will continue in his role as chief operating officer and as a director until 7 November 2023, ensuring a smooth and orderly transition.”

Commenting on Casha’s departure Berman said: “On behalf of the board and all our associates, I would like to thank Martin for his contribution to Pendragon. He has been instrumental to the growth of the business and more recently, he has played an important role in implementing our strategy to transform automotive retail through digital innovation and operational

Casha (pictured) added: “I have been very fortunate to have enjoyed a fantastic career at Pendragon. It has been a privilege to be part of a first-class organisation and I would like to thank the team that I have had the pleasure of working with. I wish them every success for the future.”

Tags: Casha, Constellation, Hedin, Marshall, Pendragon