– Senior dealer executive to leave business for rival CEO role
– Leadership change follows major operational restructure
– Motor retail veteran to remain during handover period
– Senior dealer executive to leave business for rival CEO role
– Leadership change follows major operational restructure
– Motor retail veteran to remain during handover period
Hendy Group chief operating officer Duncan McPhee is set to leave the AM100 dealership group after confirming plans to take up a chief executive role elsewhere in the motor retail sector.
The dealer group said McPhee will remain in post during a 12-month notice period at the £1bn turnover business which employs 1,500 people and represents 22 brands.
“The Hendy Board extends its thanks to Duncan for his contribution to the business and conveys its best wishes for his future endeavours,” the business said in a statement.
McPhee joined Hendy in October 2024 as chief operating officer, and oversaw a new structure which introduced three operating divisions covering Central, West and East regions across Hendy’s network of more than 60 sites.
As part of the changes, the group appointed 20 new general managers responsible for daily dealership operations, each reporting into one of three regional operational directors.
Hendy said the restructure was designed to improve operational efficiency, increase collaboration and enhance customer experience as the group looks to scale performance.
Even so, last month, the business reported heavy losses during a difficult 2024 and 2025. For the year to December 29, 2024, the dealer group posted a pre-tax loss of £18.1 million, compared with a £7.2m profit in 2023, as revenue fell by 5% to £1.1 billion.
Before joining Hendy, McPhee served as COO at Lookers which moved into private ownership in 2023 following its £504 million acquisition by Canadian investment firm Alpha Auto Group.
McPhee joined Lookers in 2008 and progressed through a range of senior operational roles including general manager, operations manager and franchise director before being promoted to chief retail operating officer with responsibility for dealership operations, marketing, customer engagement and manufacturer relationships.
During his time at Lookers he worked across brands including Kia, Renault, Dacia, Nissan, Hyundai, Volvo, Stellantis brands and Volkswagen Group franchises.
He began his motor retail career as a sales executive at John Martin Group before spending a decade at Arnold Clark as a general manager.
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