Group 1 Automotive adds Conifer Management investor to its board

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE: GPI) announced the appointment of Benjamin Hart to its board of directors, effective Nov. 1, 2026, expanding the board from ten to eleven members.

Hart is a member of the investment team for the Acacia funds, managed by Conifer Management L.L.C., which the company described as one of its largest shareholders. The appointment was made in connection with a stockholder agreement between Group 1 and Conifer that includes standstill, voting, confidentiality, and mutual non-disparagement provisions. The company said it will file the agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K.

Hart has nearly two decades of investment experience. He previously served as a portfolio manager at Glenville Capital Management and as a senior research analyst and member of the investment selection committee at The Haverford Trust Company. He currently serves on the board of directors of CelLBxHealth, a UK-based cancer diagnostics company, and previously served on the board of Applied Technology Partners. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Franklin & Marshall College and is a CFA charterholder.

Charles Szews, Group 1's non-executive chair of the board, said the company believes "there is real value in having the viewpoint of one of our largest long-term shareholders represented directly in the boardroom."

Group 1 owns and operates 249 automotive dealerships, 310 franchises, and 32 collision centers in the United States and the United Kingdom, offering 37 automobile brands.

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