Zespri Group chief executive Tony Nowell has resigned from the kiwifruit company and will leave at the end of this month.
Mr Nowell wished to focus more widely on the development of the broader New Zealand food industry, the country's growing international trade opportunities and personal community interests,Zespri said today.
Lain Jager, Zespri's general manager supply chain, had been appointed acting chief executive from July 1.
Company chairman Craig Greenlees said Mr Nowell had achieved important changes within the business during the past 15 months.
An extensive search for a new chief executive would start immediately.
Mr Jager, who had been with Zespri for 10 years, said he had agreed three priorities as acting chief executive with the board.
The priorities included delivering returns to growers in 2008/09 of at least 65c above last year's average per-tray return.
The others were to further develop the executive and management capability of the Zespri team, and to secure tangible gains by integrating the supply chain from coolstore to customer.
"These priorities are challenging in the context of low returns last season and increasing costs through the value chain," Mr Jager said.
