One of the most senior executives at South African fresh produce export company Capespan has confirmed he is leaving the company.
Wikus Hellman, currently managing director of Capespan South Africa, told Eurofruit he had submitted his resignation to the group's directors.
Hellman also revealed he would be joining Green Marketing, a major of exporter of deciduous and citrus fruit, as of 1 November 2011.
Green Marketing supplies grapes, stonefruit, apples, pears and citrus out of South Africa to UK retailer Waitrose.
Although his decision to resign closely follows the decision by Zeder Investments, which owns 27.7 per cent of the Capespan Group, to launch a R486m (€49.8m) bid for outright control of the company, Hellman insisted his departure had not been prompted by this development.
'It's just time for me to move on,' he explained. 'I'm going from the corporate world to a slightly smaller operation because I think I'm going to enjoy that more.'
Hellman has spent more than two decades with the Unifruco/Capespan family, during which time he worked for an extended period in the UK with Capespan International, followed by stints in Antwerp with Capespan Continent and in Austria.
He subsequently returned to South Africa, where he carried out various roles, eventually being appointed managing director of Capespan SA.
