PORT of Tauranga chair David Pilkington announced that he is retiring as chair later this year after nine years in the role and nearly 17 years on the board.

“I am incredibly proud of the legacy we have built over that time,” he said.

“I have been fortunate to work with a highly skilled management team and fellow directors, who have been open in sharing their diverse points of view.

“As a team, we have stayed focused on our long-term goals, while remaining flexible and responsive to the challenging environment in which we operate.”

Mr Pilkington will be succeeded by Julia Hoare at the end of July.

Ms Hoare joined the Board in 2015 and currently chairs its audit committee. She has a wide range of commercial, financial, tax, regulatory and sustainability expertise developed from both her extensive governance roles and over the course of two decades as a partner with PwC.

Julia is deputy chair of The a2 Milk Company Limited, and a director of Auckland International Airport Limited and Meridian Energy Limited. She is president of the Institute of Directors and a member of the Chapter Zero New Zealand Steering Committee.