Leadership Team

Gil West is the Chief Executive Officer of Hertz and a member of the Board of Directors. He is focused on building on the company’s extraordinary family of brands, deepening its commitment to service and operational excellence, and executing strategic initiatives that further position Hertz as a global mobility leader.

Before joining Hertz in April 2024, West served as Chief Operating Officer of Cruise LLC, General Motors’ majority-owned autonomous vehicle subsidiary. Prior to that, he was Chief Operating Officer at Delta Air Lines from 2014 to 2020, overseeing worldwide operations and more than 70,000 employees along with the company’s subsidiary businesses. Under his direction, Delta achieved industry-leading customer service performance and achieved record earnings for the industry. West held various leadership positions at Delta from 2008 to 2014, following his tenure as President and Chief Executive Officer of Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc., a provider of transportation services, from 2006 to 2007. 

West serves on the board of Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from National University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University.

Mr. Arrington has served as Executive Vice President, Revenue Management and Fleet Acquisition at Hertz since September 2020.  He previously served as Senior Vice President of Fleet Planning at Hertz from 2012 to September 2020.  From 2000 to 2012, Mr. Arrington was in a variety of leadership roles at Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, which was purchased by Hertz in 2012.  Mr. Arrington has leadership experience in fleet acquisition, fleet remarketing, fleet planning and revenue management.

Ms. Bowyer has served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs since June 2022. She has spent her career working at the intersection of communications, politics and law. As head of Corporate Affairs at Hertz, she oversees Communications, Government Affairs, Sustainability and Social Impact. Previously, she was global co-head of Brand and Content Strategy at Goldman Sachs, responsible for the firm’s strategy to engage with the public and other key stakeholders through content related to markets, industries, and the global economy. Ms. Bowyer has been a crisis communications strategist to corporate leaders across industries, helping to navigate the political, legal and media crosscurrents of crisis management. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, she practiced law at Boies Schiller Flexner in New York, specializing in complex civil litigation. She was also a producer for Tom Brokaw in his documentary unit at NBC, Tom Brokaw Reports, and helped with Brokaw’s bestselling books, The Greatest Generation and Boom: Voices of the Sixties. Ms. Bowyer is a veteran of two presidential campaigns and was a researcher and speechwriter at the White House. She is a graduate of the University of Florida and Columbia Law School.

Ms. Brooks has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Hertz since July 2023. Ms. Brooks joined Hertz in 2020 and previously served as Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Senior Vice President, Internal Audit. Prior to joining Hertz, Ms. Brooks was the Vice President, Internal Audit at Aptiv PLC (“Aptiv”), a global technology company, from 2015 to 2020. Before joining Aptiv, Ms. Brooks was the Chief Financial Officer for Champion Windows and Home Exteriors, a home improvement company, from 2013 to 2015. Prior to that, Ms. Brooks was in a variety of leadership roles at the General Electric Company and in a variety of finance and accounting roles at the General Motors Company. She is a Certified Public Accountant and began her career with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms. Brooks holds a Master of Business Administration from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Rhode Island.  

Mr. Keppy has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer since November 2023. He is a seasoned leader with more than 25 years of operational experience in both the private sector and the U.S. military.

He previously served as President, North America Residential & Light Commercial HVAC, for Carrier Global Corporation. Under his leadership, the division won share and drove exceptional topline growth while significantly increasing profitability. Prior to this role, Mr. Keppy was Carrier’s Vice President & General Manager, Truck Trailer Americas, within its Refrigeration segment. Before joining Carrier, Mr. Keppy served as Vice President, North America JIT for Lear Corporation, a global provider of automotive technology in seating and e-systems, and as Vice President at Collins Aerospace, a global supplier of aerospace and defense products, created through a merger of UTC Aerospace and Rockwell Collins’ aerospace business. Before the merger, Mr. Keppy served in a variety of leadership roles within UTC Aerospace Systems.

Mr. Keppy earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy, West Point where he was a distinguished graduate and awarded the Colonial Dames: XVII Century Award for Excellence in Systems Engineering.

Mr. Leef has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Hertz since February 2021.  He previously served as Senior vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer from September 2020 to February 2021.  Mr. Leef has nearly 20 years of leadership experience with success leading global HR organizations, managing labor relations, developing employee engagement and diversity & inclusion initiatives, and overseeing HR operations at corporate and field levels.  Before joining Hertz, Mr. Leef most recently was the Chief Human Resources Officer at Atria Senior Living Community.  Prior to that role, he held several executive HR roles over 16 years at GE Appliances, supporting the supply chain, technology and consumer service divisions.

Ms. Smith has served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Customer Experience since December 2020. She previously served as Executive Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Customer Experience. Ms. Smith has more than 20 years of expertise in the travel industry and customer experience. She joined Hertz in 2002 in Dublin, Ireland where she held various leadership roles at the company’s international customer contact center. In 2013, she relocated to the United States to lead Hertz’s Customer Care team and contact center in North America. In 2019, she was promoted to Senior Vice President of Customer Experience, overseeing the company’s global Customer Care and Customer Experience organizations.