Sealord manager fired after ‘private conflict’

Press, 19 April 1980, Page 3

Sealord manager fired after ‘private conflict’

The dismissal of the managing director of Sealord Products, Ltd, Mr Charles Hufflett, was yesterday confirmed by a joint managing director of Carter Holt Holdings, Ltd, Mr Richard Carter. However, Mr Carter declined to disclose his reasons for firing the man who founded Sealord 11 years ago and has been its chief executive since.

Carter Holt holds a 76 per cent shareholding in Sealord — Australasia’s biggest fishing venture — and Japanese fishing interests hold the rest. Mr Hufflett also confirmed yesterday that he had been dismissed, and said: “I’m doing a lot of gardening at the moment.” Mr Carter said that Mr Hufflett continued to carry

Carter Holt’s respect for his integrity and capability as a man, as well as a manager. “It is unfortunate that occasionally in business

direct conflicts of opinion will arise concerning the running of an enterprise,” Mr Carter said. “The conflict in this case is essentially a private matter to the company itself, and is of no real concern to others.

“Mr Hufflett’s integrity is not in question, and we have nothing but respect for the vears of determined personal effort that he has put into the development of the fishing industry in New Zealand.”

Mr Carter said that the company accountant, Mr G. France, was acting as chief executive at Sealord in the meantime, “but I will be down soon to draw the strings on the whole affair.” He said that he would have come to Nelson earlier, but “I’ve been busy keeping my powder dry on this Fletcher business.”