Today, Peter Reidie, the CEO of Sanford, has officially resigned. Sanford's chairman, Rob McLeod, made the announcement and emphasized that the resignation is effective immediately.
Reidie expressed his pride in having led New Zealand's oldest seafood company for years and achieving positive results. "I have enjoyed working with Sanford's people since April 2021. They have shown enormous resilience, perseverance, and character at an extraordinary time. The company is well advanced on its post-Covid recovery, and significant structural and leadership changes have been made."
With this, the company has begun a search process to identify a successor. The president of Sanford clarified that the company has considered Craig Ellison the most suitable candidate for the interim CEO position, given his role as a board member since 2021. "Craig has extensive seafood sector, managerial, and governance experience. The Sanford board is very pleased he has agreed to serve as our interim chief executive," said McLeod.
Finally, McLeod expressed his gratitude towards Reidie, who has led the company during challenging times. "I thank Peter for his dedication and leadership at Sanford during a period of extremely challenging local and international business conditions. These include a very challenging marketplace, the supply chain and other disruptions bequeathed by the Covid pandemic, labour shortages, persistently high inflation and geopolitical instability," said McLeod.
Reidie explained that the reason for his decision was to focus on other aspects of his life. "For me, after I've finished some important projects at Sanford, it's time to move on and focus on family, personal and other commitments."
Sanford is New Zealand's largest seafood company and holds almost 20% of the country's commercial fishing quota. Sanford is the oldest company in New Zealand, the company is on the New Zealand Stock Exchange since 1924. With a strong emphasis on sustainability, the company endeavors to optimize the value of the resources sourced from Aotearoa's oceans. Thus, Sanford has operations spanning 15 locations and employs a committed workforce of 1,400 staff members and share fishers.
