Murray Douglas has resigned as Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce CEO, to focus on "the smaller picture".
He will also relinquish his role as Business Hawke's Bay chief executive
After five years Mr Douglas will step down as Chamber of Commerce CEO on September 28 to devote more of his time to an expanding fig business,
"Our business is growing more and more rapidly. I thought I was only going to be with them for three years, but Business Hawke's Bay came along and that was such a great thing to be involved with."
'However, the orchard and food processing business we have fostered has reached the point where I have had to make the hard decision to move on .... and focus on the family business'.
Now the economic climate was looking up, he felt it was a good time to welcome someone with fresh ideas and renewed enthusiasm.
"I am confident they know where they are going," he said.
"I have complete optimism about the ability of business in the Bay. There are some tremendous businesses, but that comes with a tinge of concern - we sometimes don't realise that Hawke's Bay hits below its weight."
"Strangely I have been CEO virtually throughout the whole period of the Global Financial Crisis so I have experienced a most challenging period and have seen some great responses as business adapted to the new economic world we need to work in."
Mr Douglas said it was vital to celebrate successes in our own back yard.
"I have been focusing on promoting those success stories over the last year. I said it in your paper the other day, almost any business in New Zealand could establish here and do better. We should really go forward on that basis."
While it was difficult decision to hand over the reigns, he wouldn't miss the long days.
"There's a lot of things I have enjoyed doing, there's a lot more to do in terms of growing and promoting business in the Bay," he said.
"I would have liked to deal with more of the ups which are starting to come through now, a lot of the time I was dealing with the downs. In one sense it is a good time to go, in another it's hard to walk away."
He would leave big shoes to fill, Chamber president Katja Williams said.
"Murray's resignation has been received with regret. He has made a valuable contribution to the Chamber and the wider Hawke's Bay business community. His passion and energy will be missed. We wish him every success in developing his family business."
Mr Douglas said he was not cutting ties completely with the chamber.
"If they need some help or advice I will be there, but I certainly won't criticise or give suggestions if I am not asked."
Mr Douglas has built a reputation as a fierce advocate for local business. Recently he has engaged in the controversial fracking debate, coming out strongly in favour of potentially allowing companies to undertake oil and gas exploration in Hawke's Bay.
Earlier this year he said: "We would be foolish in Hawke's Bay to ignore the possibilities.
"It could provide us with the wealth and growth that we've seen in Taranaki and it would be interesting to see if that could emerge on the East Coast."
Last month he said environmental misinformation over the dangers of oil drilling had cost Hawke's Bay a much-needed bonanza.