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Ex-Thomas Cook bosses Harriet Green and Manny Fontenla-Novoa to face MPs this week

Former Thomas Cook CEOs Harriet Green and Manny Fontenla-Novoa are set to appear before MPs probing the collapse of the company this week.

They are both due to give evidence to the government’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee on Wednesday.

They have yet to break their silence on their respective times in charge of Thomas Cook which collapsed last month with the loss of 9,000 UK jobs and 140,000 holidaymakers overseas.

Peter Fankhauser, CEO of the travel giant at the time of its failure, was among bosses grilled by MPs on the committee as it started its investigation last week.


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Chairman Frank Meysman was accused by committee chair Rachel Reeves MP of showing “very little remorse” and called on him to “show some humility”.

Fankhauser insisted he was “confident” that Thomas Cook was going to be saved and denied that a recapitalisation plan for the company was “chaotic”.

The committee hearing is set to resume on Tuesday when auditors from PwC and EY are to appear alongside Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association general secretary Manuel Cortes, Unite union assistant general secretary Diana Holland and Richard Piggin, head of external affairs at consumer group Which?

Wednesday will see Green, Fontenla-Novoa and former Thomas Cook chief financial officer Bill Scott appear before the committee in Westminster together with Insolvency Service CEO Dean Beale and directors of the Financial Reporting Council.

Fontenla-Novoa headed Thomas Cook from 2003 to 2011 and oversaw the merger with MyTravel and the acquisition of Co-operative Travel to increase the firm’s retail estate to more than 1,200 shops.

Harriet Green was chief executive for two years from summer 2012 and was in charge of a range of cost cuts.

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