Electrolux Australia is facing a major management crisis, with more senior executives quitting the business this week.

Leaked staff survey documents, reveal that Electrolux executives including senior management that ChannelNews has spoken to are not happy with the direction of the Swedish owned Company claiming that the business has “lost the bulk of executives who actually have experience in the appliance market especially in the cooking appliance market”.

“What we have today is people with FMCG experience and this is not what Electrolux needs” said one disgruntled executive.

Alarming for some managers, is the attitude of their own staff to senior directors and the decision being taken today at the NSW based Company today.

The leaked 2023 Employee Engagement Survey results, reveal that employees only rated senior management 25/100.

As to a question as to whether they have the resources to do their job efficiently staff ranked the issue 35/100.

In the past under the sales management of Michael Doyle and CEO Mike Putt management satisfaction survey results came in at 75/100 when rating management.

This week Anastasia Barlas a former Marketing Manager and currently the head of Ownership and Customer experience quit after 7 years with the business.

Also leaving the Company is John Henley after several decades with the Swedish business, he is retiring.

Also gone from the business in the past year is former Director of operations, Derek Haley who assumed additional responsibilities when he was appointed acting general manager following the sudden exit of Featherstone and HR Director Deb Bowden.

He is now working in a senior role at NARTA.

Another executive who has left the Swedish appliance Company that earlier this year was the subject of a takeover by Chinese Company Midea was Melbourne based Chris Collins who had worked for the business for several years.

The latest exit of senior management follows the appointment of Kurt Hegvold (seen below) who replaced the controversial John Featherstone who only lasted months in the role, along with former HR Director Deb Boden.

Both Bowden and Featherstone exited the Company suddenly after an investigation by overseas management into issues at the Australian operation which appear to have not been fixed with the appointment of new executives.
They also investigated the sacking of much liked sales director Michael Doyle by Featherstone.

Doyle sued resulting in Electrolux regional management settling with Doyle who is now the CEO of Eurolinx a successful distributor of premium appliances.

As for Featherstone he is now working as National Sales Manager at Caesarstone.

He did recently set up his own web site spruking his skills at www.johnfeatherstone.com.au.


He is describing himself, as being a person whose “approach to business is based upon “where we are today” and “where we need to be”.

He claims on the new web site that he excels at go-to-market, distribution, and transformation”.

He also claims that he “Successfully transformed the (Sony) ANZ business improving profit 2.6 times.

He does however fail to mention that Sony actually exited the Australian the Australian mobile market while the business was under his management, because of poor sales and their inability to compete up against brands such as Apple, Samsung and Chinese brand Oppo or the then TCL owned Alcatel.

Since Hevgold’s appointment several senior executives have quit or have been replaced.

Prior to taking on the role, he worked at SC Johnson an FMCG Company.

On his LinkedIn profile he describes one of his major skills as “Developing a safe and great place to work through values entrenchment, fostering company culture, workplace and employee health and wellness, diversity, inclusion and end to end team member engagement”.

During the past month several current and former staff have approached ChannelNews, claiming the culture and working environment at the Company has changed following the appointment of new management.
In the past we have asked Electrolux to comment on issues. They have failed to respond.

Mark Goodwin the Companies Communications Manager appears to believe that the answer to a communications problem is to rattle off a press relate to tame media such as Appliance Retailer.

We have also asked the current CEO Kurt Hevgold to comment.