TNT to make court plea to stop ex-chief CEO working for rival Geodis

TNT Express is expected to launch legal action against its former chief executive Marie-Christine Lombard to prevent her working for Geodis as CEO, an appointment that was announced in October.

She left TNT at the end of September.

"Geodis is one of our competitors because it is also involved in express deliveries," a TNT spokesman told Financieele Dagblad. "Lombard has expertise, experience and a network. That is a serious consideration for us." Geodis is owned by French railway firm SNCF.

Media reports in the Netherlands claimed TNT Express went to court in Haarlem last week to take out an injunction against her to force Ms Lombard to stop working and pay a fine for infringing the competition clause in her contract.

The Haarlem court ruled against TNT Express, saying the issue should be dealt with in the French courts, where her new employer, state-owned Geodis, is based.

The spokesman said TNT would pursue the issue legally "in the interests of the company."

According to media reports, Ms Lombard's contract included a 12-month ban on working for the competition and required her to receive clearance from TNT Express' supervisory board before taking up a new job. The week after she left, supervisory board chairman Antony Burgmans said she had broken the terms of her contract by leaving, reports the UK's Transport Intelligence.