Ton Wortel has stepped down as general director of Dutch fresh produce marketer The Greenery with immediate effect, less than 18 months on from his appointment.
According to a statement issued by the group, Wortel's decision to leave was made in response to 'an irreconcilable difference of opinion' with The Greenery's supervisory board.
'The strategy deployed by The Greenery, focusing on intensive collaboration with supply chain retail parties and cost control, will not change,' it stated.
The shock news comes in the wake of two other high-profile departures. Chairman Bert Jansen and another board member, Mieke Bello, resigned in late November, reportedly following disagreements over the future direction of the company.
Board member Philip Limvers will lead the company on a temporary basis while a successor is found. Gerard Pronk, chairman of The Greenery’s producer co-operative Coforta, is currently holding the fort as interim chairman.
When his appointment was originally announced back in June 2014, Wortel was heralded as the right man to lead The Greenery’s recovery from years of losses compounded by costly mistakes and inefficiency.
As the business sought to adopt a far more customer-focused commercial strategy, Wortel’s vast experience as a retail organiser with particular expertise in the fields of process management and strategy implementation appeared to be a major asset.
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