The chair of the Irish agri-food co-operative Ornua, Aaron Forde, has announced his resignation.

According to a statement from Ornua, Forde’s resignation comes after chairing the board “for six successful years”.

Forde has recommended the appointment of an independent director to oversee the board while it is reviewing its governance structures.

Denis Cregan has been now appointed to Forde’s former position as the chairman of Ornua.

Commenting on the announcement John Jordan, Ornua’s CEO, said: “On behalf of Ornua I would like to sincerely thank Aaron for successfully leading the board during a period of significant change and growth.

Ornua has achieved great success during his chairmanship such as the expansion of Ornua’s global footprint in the US, Germany, China and Saudi Arabia.

Denis Cregan joined the board in 2015 as an Independent non-executive director.

He is chairman of Kerry Airport, a former director of Tourism Ireland and a former director of Kerry Group plc.

Denis has extensive experience in the Irish dairy industry having worked in various management roles with Kerry Group plc over a 30-year period, including deputy chief executive, chief executive of Kerry’s Ingredients Division.

Denis also worked for a period with the Department of Finance and Grand Metropolitan. He is a graduate of Dairy Science from University College Cork.