Peter Hebblethwaite, the chief executive of P&O Ferries who became known as Britain's most hated boss after sacking nearly 800 workers in 2022, is to leave the company. The Dubai-based DP World subsidiary confirmed his resignation, citing family matters.
Hebblethwaite sparked outrage when P&O Ferries dismissed 786 staff and replaced them with low-paid agency workers, some earning as little as £4.87 per hour—well below the UK minimum wage. During a parliamentary hearing, he was accused of operating like a 'shameless criminal', though no charges were brought.
Despite the controversy, Hebblethwaite received a 55% pay rise to £683,000 in the year following the sackings, including a £183,000 bonus. The company's 2022 accounts, published 11 months late, showed it spent over £47m on the redundancies.
P&O Ferries has faced governance issues, twice failing to publish annual accounts on time, and replaced auditor KPMG with a tiny four-person firm. The company lost £91.4m in 2023, an improvement on £249.4m losses in 2022, but passenger numbers fell 45% since 2018.
New UK and French legislation has since raised pay rates on P&O vessels. The company thanked Hebblethwaite for navigating the Covid-19 pandemic and introducing hybrid ferries.
