The board of Turners & Growers (T&G), which is set to welcome German congolomerate BayWa as its new majority shareholder during the next few days, has announced the resignations of two senior directors following last week's confirmation that managing director Jeff Wesley is to retire shortly.
Tina Symmans, an independent director of T&G since being appointed by former chairman Tony Gibbs in June 2008, and Brian D'Ath, the group's executive director and global variety development manager, both tendered their resignations following the confirmation that BayWa's takeover offer had been approved by New Zealand's regulatory authority.
Symmans, who is also a director of Telecom New Zealand, previously worked as a public relations executive for Brierley Investments, the company owned by New Zealand investor and corporate raider Sir Ron Brierley.
Brierly himself is a former chairman, board member and major shareholder of Guinness Peat Group (GPG), the firm now selling its majority stake in T&G to BayWa.
He was appointed to the GPG board in March 1990 and, having offloaded much of his company's investment in GPG, retired as its chairman in December 2010.
However, at least until the BayWa deal is done, he remains as a non-executive director.
Brian D'Ath has led the development of several new apple and pear varieties during his long tenure as a board member of T&G topfruit division Enza.
A highly regarded member of the international fruit business, D'Ath was instrumental in bringing a number of well-known apple and pear varieties to market, including Jazz, Envy and the Pacific series.
From 1989 to 1994, D’Ath acted as chairman of the local topfruit growers' association in New Zealand's Hawke's Bay, where his family's Tollemache Orchards have been producing and packing apples since 1913.
He also acted as Hawke’s Bay representative for Pipfruit Growers New Zealand Incorporated during 1995–96.
Since the beginning of March, D'Ath's name has adorned the new head office of Enza/Turners & Growers in Whakatu, Hawke's Bay.
In the meantime, BayWa has also confirmed that Jeff Wesley will remain in place as MD until a replacement can be found, a process it aimed to complete in the coming weeks.
'The appointment of new directors as a result of BayWa taking a majority shareholding in Turners & Growers will be made as soon as possible,' the group said.
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