SINCE its annual meeting, the board of Hastings Co-operative Limited has moved quickly towards a major re-structure of management, resolving to recruit a Chief Executive Officer.
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The Hastings Co-op has been without a CEO since April, since the departure of Phillip Bryant.
Chairman of the board, Julie Muller, said six Co-op directors voted unanimously on Monday to fill the position, based on a recommendation from two of its directors, Scott Newton and Lisa Intemann.
The board had authorised the two directors to review the recent 'Report of Audit Findings' and make a recommendation, said board chair, Julie Muller.
"Their report was presented one week later, saying we needed a CEO, and proposing a high quality candidate who we arranged to interview the following day," Mrs Muller said.
"The Co-op board is delighted to announce the appointment of well-known local businessman, Allan Gordon as CEO in the short term, while we go through the process of appointing someone permanently.
"During Monday's Board meeting, Co-op director Ian Bartie resigned, citing a 'difference of opinion' with the direction being taken by the board."
Mr Bartie was appointed to the Co-op board on November 2011, and voted deputy chairman in April, after the resignation of Alex Pursehouse as director.
"The past year has been a tumultuous one for the 96 year-old Hastings Co-operative, marked by the sale to Sungrow of the Co-op's founding business unit - the Hastings River dairy factory," said Mrs Muller.
"Mr Gordon has been appointed on a contract basis, commencing work yesterday [Wednesday]."
Alyson Ogilvie-Lee will remain as Chief Restructuring Officer reporting directly to Mr Gordon.
Contacted by the Gazette, Mr Gordon said he did not believe that managing a co-operative successfully would be different from running a conventional company.
The same underlying principles apply, he said, and they are good governance and good risk management.
While his appointment as CEO is temporary, Mr Gordon says his background as a business coach and mentor will be valuable to him in that role.
His first task will be to identify the co-op's 'critical issues' and tackle them.
Speaking on the day his appointment as interim CEO was announced, Mr Gordon said it was too early to have a more detailed strategy than to consult the board and work with it to tackle the priority issues and then work his way through the other issues needing attention.
"While I'm there the task in front of me is very well understood," he said.
The board had told him a number of issues had been identified at the Co-op's annual general meeting and elsewhere and his task would be to work with the board to see that those issues are addressed.
