PAUL Dumbrell has shocked the business world by pulling the pin as Bapcor CEO before he’d even began.
Beyond a lengthy motorsport career headlined by a Bathurst 1000 victory and two Super2 titles, Dumbrell has developed a powerhouse reputation away from the track.
It was announced in February that following a successful five-year stint as Total Tools CEO, Dumbrell had been appointed to the top job at Bapcor starting May 1 and paying a base annual salary of AU$1.25 million.
However, it became public yesterday – one day before he was due to begin – that the 41-year-old has backed out of the role.
His reasons have only been explained by Bapcor as “a personal decision not to join the company”.
Mark Bernhard will continue as interim CEO. Bapcor’s portfolio includes Autobarn, which was co-founded by the Dumbrell family.
“This is a disappointing situation, however we are pleased that Mark will remain acting in the role, so we can continue to leverage his expertise and experience,” said Bapcor chair Margie Haseltine.
Dumbrell made the final start of his 299-race Supercars Championship career at the 2018 Gold Coast 500.
He then sold his shares in Triple Eight to Tony Quinn in early 2021 but has maintained some connection to Supercars, including co-calling last year’s Great Race with V8 Sleuth publisher Aaron Noonan for SEN.
