10:34 am, October 8, 2026
Troubled dealer Hendy has appointed ex-Cazoo chairman Tim Issacs as it looks to turnaround the loss-making car dealership group.
Non executive chairman Daksh Gupta – who only works for the firm a few hours a month – recommended that the business appoint an executive chairman.
A briefing to staff said this would provide the business with ‘additional leadership capacity’ and help ‘support the accelerated delivery of Hendy’s transformation’. The firm is run by CEO Paul Hendy, pictured above.
The dealer group told staff that Gupta, who is CEO of building merchants Huws Gray and non-executive chairman of StackCX, already has ‘several other leadership responsibilities’.
The firm said: ‘While [Gupta] remains fully committed to Hendy, he believes the business would benefit from an executive chair who can dedicate the level of hands-on executive involvement required during this critical phase of transformation.
‘The board has accepted Daksh’s recommendation and has appointed Tim Isaacs as executive chair with immediate effect.
‘Tim brings significant experience in supporting organisations through transformation, performance improvement and periods of change.
‘As executive chair, he will work closely with the board and leadership team, providing additional executive capacity, commercial insight and a strong focus on delivering the actions required to improve performance and create long-term value.’
Gupta will become a non-executive director and no longer chair the board.
The firm added: ‘Daksh will continue to contribute his considerable experience and insight as a Non-Executive Director, remaining actively engaged in supporting the business through the next phase of its transformation.’
Issacs was previously chairman of failed used car dealer Cazoo. He joined as part of a newly formed board following a major restructuring of debt in 2023, following the departure of founder Alex Chesterman.
According to LinkedIn, he has a background specialising in ‘refinancing, financial restructuring, M&A and governance’.
Hendy recently appointed former Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson to its board, but has lost its COO Duncan McPhee who is due to join another dealer group shortly.
In April it was revealed that Hendy had slumped to a £18.1m loss in 2024 after the publication of its annual accounts. It said 2025 was likely to show a loss too.
The South Coast business, owned by former Carzam investor John Bailey, posted a £7.1m profit in 2023.
A report for parent company Hendy Automotive Limited showed banking covenants were breached in September and December 2025 which gave the group’s lenders the right to demand immediate repayment of loans. That followed an £11.5m cash injection from shareholders in March last year.
At the time, the car dealer group said it had taken a number of ‘key actions’ as a result of the ‘market conditions and trading performance’.