Shayne Tong has been appointed as chief digital officer following an executive search conducted by SEQEL Partners.

Foodstuffs South Island is the leading grocery retailer for the South Island, with 230 locally owned and operated stores across the region.

The Co-operative spans the New World, PAK'nSAVE, Raeward Fresh, On the Spot, Henry's BWS, Trents and Four Square brands and is passionate about delivering on its mission to 'Feed the South Island'.

Tong is currently chief digital officer for the Auckland District Health Board, where he has been leading a significant digital transformation spanning cloud acceleration, advanced analytics and data science, cyber security, and service delivery excellence.

Previously, he supported Genesis Energy to modernise their systems and spent three years with Fletcher Building group technology and digital general manager.

Tong began his career as an accountant and finance manager before moving into IT 20 years ago.

He spent time in Australia and London progressing through increasingly senior IT roles within financial services businesses, including ANZ Bank, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Barclays Capital.

Tong commences with Foodstuffs South Island in late August.