Chapter 276
At the Lambert Group headquarters.
Wallace sat with a grim expression, flanked by the major shareholders. Across from him sat a young man who looked to be in his late twenties. A closer look revealed a faint resemblance between him and Wallace.
The room was nearly full, but the seat at the head of the table remained empty. That was Clifford's seat, as the current CEO of the Lambert Group. This shareholder meeting had been called primarily to address the recent crisis and to vote on the company's leadership. Taking that seat was like painting a target on your back, and as chairman, Wallace had no intention of sitting there himself.
"Why isn't he here yet?"
"Is he trying to make a statement?"
"Hmph, I think he's just given up. The way Lambert Group's stock has plummeted, as CEO, he bears the full responsibility. For all we know, he's already skipped town."
"Chairman Wallace, since he's not coming, let's just get started!"
Wallace scanned the room, then stood up. "Since Clifford has not arrived, we will proceed with discussing the new CEO candidate. Clifford previously submitted his resignation, and I had intended for us to vote on it during this meeting. But given his absence, I see no need for that vote."
"Let's first elect a new CEO. The Lambert Group is in crisis, and regardless of the solution we devise, we need someone to execute it. This means the CEO must be exceptionally capable, decisive, and bold. If anyone has a suitable candidate in mind, please propose them, and we will hold a vote."
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, but no one spoke up or offered a name.
Wallace saw the hesitation in these old fossils and knew they were still loyal to Clifford. He couldn't fathom when Clifford had managed to build such close ties with them.
"Does no one have a preferred candidate?" Wallace pressed.
One of the shareholders, a man with white hair, spoke up. "Mr. Lambert, do you have someone suitable in mind?"
Wallace glanced at the young man across from him. "In that case, allow me to introduce Greyson Lambert, the head of Lambert Group's overseas operations."
The young man stood up smoothly. "Hello, everyone. My name is Greyson Lambert. I'm in charge of the overseas division. It's a pleasure to formally meet you all. I look forward to working with you."
The Lambert Group did have an overseas division, though most of them paid it little attention. It
primarily coordinated with the
domestic branch, serving the el
Company
interests. It was a subsidiary of the Lambert Group but operated as a separate entity, so its shares weren't part of the domestic company's stock.
"Does Greyson's presence here today mean that the overseas division's shares are being merged with the domestic ones?" someone asked.
Wallace nodded. "Precisely. That is my proposal."
"The overseas company's shares are not as substantial as the domestic ones, but they can provide the immediate capital injection the Lambert Group needs to weather this storm."
"After the merger," Wallace
continued, "the share distribution will follow the existing percentages.
Greyson will not hold any shares net?
which is why I have decided to
transfer all of my personal shares to him."
1.n
In essence, he was asking them to buy into the overseas company, using that capital to plug the current financial hole. It was a win-win situation. Without the merger, the shareholders would have to pony up cash anyway to stop the freefall The amount of money they were losing daily was already enough to buy out the overseas division.
"If there are no objections, we will begin the vote."