Colleen Batcheler, who led Hertz’s legal team for nearly two years, will be leaving the rental car giant later this month for “a new role outside the company,” according to a securities filing.
Batcheler did not immediately respond to an inquiry about her new role. According to the filing, she’ll be stepping down on April 10 but will remain with Hertz “in a non-executive capacity through April 20 to facilitate the transition of her duties.”
Batcheler became legal chief in May 2022, just months after Estero, Florida-based Hertz emerged from bankruptcy and as it battled numerous lawsuits from customers falsely accused of stealing its cars. She received a total compensation of $6.6 million in 2022, including a $1 million sign-on bonus, $121,990 in relocation benefits and stock awards valued at $4.5 million, according to regulatory filings.
The company said some of those awards offset compensation she forfeited when she quit Conagra Brands to take the Hertz post. She had been at Conagra for 16 years, the last 13 as general counsel. Last year, Batcheler also joined the board of Hyster-Yale Group, a materials handling manufacturing company headquartered in Ohio.
Hertz, which has not yet disclosed its executive pay for 2023, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Batcheler’s departure.
When she joined, Hertz was dealing with the fallout of allegations that it had falsely accused innocent customers of vehicle theft. In December 2022, the company settled 364 customer lawsuits for $168 million.
