Ex-Sainsbury's Boss To Lead Thomas Cook Review

Troubled travel group Thomas Cook (Xetra: A0MR3W - news) has tasked former Sainsbury's chief Justin King with carrying out an indepedent review of the company after its widely criticised handling of the deaths of two children whilst on holiday in Corfu.

Mr King will investigate the holiday company's "customer health, safety, welfare, relations and crisis management practices" after public uproar over its response to the deaths of Christi and Bobby Shepherd by carbon monoxide poisoning at a hotel in 2006.

The former Sainsbury's boss who stepped down in July last year after more than a decade at the helm will report back his findings in September.

Peter Fankhauser, who took over as chief executive of Thomas Cook last November, said: "I hope that this independent review led by Justin King will play a significant part in supporting the change programme I am committed to implementing across the Thomas Cook business to put the customer at the heart of everything we do."

The company sparked outrage when it emerged that Thomas Cook had accepted nearly £3m in compensation for legal expenses and lost revenue after the tragedy.

Thomas Cook later apologised to the family and made a £1.5m donation to Unicef but did so without consulting the parents.

Thomas Cook also revealed last month that former chief executive Harriet Green was awarded a controversial shares bonus worth around £5.7m , but said she would donate a third to charities chosen in consultation with Ms Wood and Mr Shepherd.

The siblings, from Horbury in West Yorkshire, died at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel when they were overcome by carbon monoxide fumes from a faulty boiler in an outbuilding.

An inquest in May ruled that the children had been unlawfully killed and concluded that Thomas Cook breached its duty of care to the family.