Tipperary Co-op has announced that John Daly, its CEO since 2016, is “leaving to pursue other interests”. Former assistant general manager at the business, John Hunter, has been brought in as interim CEO.

The statement from chair William Ryan said that Daly and the board believed that the time was right for new leadership to “continue to drive the future direction of the co-op”.

While it referred to the incoming Hunter as “interim” CEO, the statement talked about him as though he is going to have much more than a caretaker role. Hunter said that he is looking forward to leading the co-op in developing its “diverse business interests and maximising the benefits to shareholders”.

Financial health

Tipperary Co-op had been surrounded by rumours in recent months about its financial health, rumours which Daly dismissed as “garbage” in a recent interview with the Irish Farmers Journal.