Foodstuffs South Island (FSSI) has announced that Chief Executive Officer Mary Devine will step down from her role at the end of 2026.
FSSI Chair Marcel Gray said Devine had decided it was the right time to leave the co-operative.
“Mary has led a significant transformation over the past five years, drawing on her deep retail and business expertise to reset the strategic direction of the co-operative while navigating a new regulatory environment,” he said.
“With Mary as CEO, we have delivered fundamental changes to our core technology and operating model, developed and executed a new strategic direction, and responded to increased regulation and scrutiny with confidence and integrity.
Gray added that her impact on the organisation's culture over that time cannot be understated. Her people-first leadership has brought positive change to many ways of working, with a relentless focus on excellence.
On behalf of the Board, Gray thanked Devine for her dedication and significant contributions to Foodstuffs South Island during an exceptionally dynamic and complex period.
Devine said it had been a great privilege to be part of the Foodstuffs South Island co-operative, both as CEO and previously as an Independent Director on the Board.
“The ethos of the co-operative has always resonated with me. At its heart, Foodstuffs South Island is about people with a deep and enduring commitment to feeding the South Island and serving South Island communities," she said.
“By the end of this year, I will have been in the CEO role for five years, and I am incredibly proud of what our team and store owner operators have achieved together. It feels right to step down at this point in our strategic journey and enable new leadership to continue driving the co-operative forward.”
Devine’s notice period will support a seamless leadership transition. The Board will run the selection and appointment process over the coming months.
