File photo. Photo: Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye
The chair and independent director of Synlait, Simon Robertson, has resigned, effective immediately.
Independent director Paul McGilvary would be acting chair until the position was permanently filled, the company said in a statement to the New Zealand Stock Exchange on Tuesday morning.
"On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Simon for his contribution to Synlait," McGilvary said. "We wish Simon well with his future endeavours."
Last week, Synlait and the speciality dairy company A2 Milk announced they were heading to binding arbitration after negotiations over Synlait's cancelled supply agreement.
Last month, A2 Milk cancelled Synlait's exclusive supply rights for stages one to three infant formula, saying the company's delivery levels fell below the required standard.
Synlait has disputed that A2 had the right to cancel the exclusivity arrangement and has stressed that any cancellation would only apply to exclusivity arrangements with A2 Milk.
The company would continue to make infant formula for A2, under its three-year rolling-term contract.
