Charles Morgan to appeal ousting by Morgan board (2013)

By Ollie Kew

Motor Industry

18 October 2013 17:00

Charles Morgan, who was ousted by the Morgan Motor Company's board this week after a decade at the marque, has released a statement reacting to his forced departure, and confirming his intention to fight the decision. You can read the statement in its entirety below.

Charles Morgan has posted a single entry on a personal blog, outlining his dismay at the decision, and announcing he will appeal against the board. In the days since the initial announcement, Mr Morgan has been highly active on Twitter, thanking followers (some of whom are Morgan employees) for their support, and retweeting messages of shock, anger and dismay at the decision to boot him out of the resurgent sports car marque.

As has been widely reported, I have been asked to leave the Morgan Motor Company by the board. It is a sad decision that I am appealing; I remain a major shareholder in Morgan.

I’m proud to say I leave with the company’s annual production volumes double what they were at the start of my tenure, with new export markets such as China opened to the company. Morgan remains a small but successful family firm.

I’d like to be clear that I am not a tycoon but a family man – I inherited a company not wealth – and unexpectedly leaving its employment will be a hardship for myself and my family. Being asked to leave the company that bears my name is also extremely personally distressing. That is made more painful as today marks 10 years since my father, Peter Morgan, died and I feel him in spirit with me in this dispute.

However my primary concern is completely for the company I have spent 30 years helping to build, and specifically for Morgan’s employees, who I hold in the highest regard. I want nothing but success for Morgan Motor Company in the future and remain committed to this goal.

I am very grateful for the expressions of support received on twitter and elsewhere, particularly from the employees of Morgan.

I will be making no further statements for the time being.

- Charles Morgan

The Morgan Motor Company has so far not responded to the statement, either via a press release or on social media. The initial statement from the brand released earlier this week reads as follows:

Further to decisions taken in January of this year, Morgan Technologies is now in a position to announce that Charles Morgan is no longer part of the management team or Board of Directors of the company.

Over recent months, and in response to the growth in volumes, model range and overseas markets, the company structure has been strengthened across a number of different areas. This reflects the scale and complexity of an increasingly global business.

Whilst these are significant developments for the company, the Morgan family, Directors and management team look forward to sharing more news with the wider Morgan community in the near future.

These changes will help cultivate an exciting future for Morgan which continues to reinforce the unique attributes of the brand.

- Board of Directors

The Morgan family recognises the management contribution that Charles has made to the family business as Strategy Director, and confirm that he remains a shareholder.
However, to ensure continuing success, Morgan must look to strengthen and review its strategies, and acknowledge that our management team are better placed to steer the company in the future. We wish to thank our past, present and future customers for supporting our craftsmen & women, and for ensuring that our unique family owned business succeeds for another 100 years.

- The Morgan factory

Stay tuned to CAR Online for more on this compelling story as it develops.

By Ollie Kew