Harriet Green to donate third of £5.7m Thomas Cook shares following Corfu deaths tragedy

Former Thomas Cook chief executive Harriet Green was yesterday awarded shares worth almost £5.7m, but will donate one third to charities chosen by the parents of two children who died in Corfu while on holiday with the tour company.

 

Green, who stepped down from the role in November, was given 4.1m company shares, which had a closing price of 136.8p.

 

Thomas Cook was criticised over its treatment of the family of Christi and Bobby Shepherd, who died in 2006 from carbon monoxide poisoning .

 

Their mother, Sharon Wood, also labelled Green’s initial offer of a charity donation as “abhorrent”, as the family only learned of it shortly before a public announcement.

 

Although Green was not chief executive at the time of the deaths, she was in charge between 2012 and 2014, when the parents said Thomas Cook failed to communicate with them.

 

The travel agent’s reputation was tarnished by news it had failed to apologise to Wood and Neil Shepherd for nearly 10 years and that the compensation the company received dwarfed the amounts the parents received. 

 

Thomas Cook said Green could have received up to 7.1m shares.

 

“The number of shares vested is based on an assessment of business performance against several targets including share price,” Thomas Cook stated. “During her two and a half years of service the share price rose from 16.25p (30 July 2012) to 136p (25 Nov 2014).” 

 

The company added that the parents  had “expressed their satisfaction” with the charity payment.