Saturday, June 26, 2021
General Motors has axed Teneo as its PR counselor following news that CEO Declan Kelly was inebriated at a Global Citizen event in May and engaged in inappropriate behavior.
A spokesperson for the automaker said June 25 that following a series of discussions it decided not to continue working with Teneo.
GM is the first major client to cut Teneo since the Financial Times broke news of Kelly’s misbehavior on June 24. Kelly had been advising GM CEO Mary Barra.
Global Citizen, which booted Kelly from its board following the May 2 charity event, also severed ties with the PR firm that serves blue-chip companies such as Dow Chemical, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines and General Electric, as well as Saudi Arabia.
Kelly, who is undergoing counseling, has relinquished some of his managerial duties at Teneo.