Simon Garlick has resigned as chief executive of AFL club the Western Bulldogs.
The former player has held the position since December 2010.
He spent the previous two years serving as chief commercial officer.
Garlick said it had been a privilege to serve the club for more than 13 years as a player, board member, manager and CEO, but felt the time was right to resign and start a "new chapter" in his life.
"I believe it's in the best interests of the club, my family and myself at this time given the recent appointment of a new coach, a stable board in place and a new five-year strategic plan for the club ready to be launched," he said in a statement on Monday.
"I'm proud of all I have accomplished here at Western Bulldogs during my tenure as the chief executive."
Gary Kent, chair of the club's audit and risk committee, will lead the search for a new CEO, beginning immediately.
Club president Peter Gordon and chief operating officer Michael Quinn will share CEO duties until a replacement is found.
Gordon said Garlick had been instrumental for the club during a "difficult period", having not made the top eight since losing a preliminary final in 2010.
The Bulldogs finished 14th in 2014 and 15th in the two seasons prior.
"Simon has played an important role for the club in a pivotal and difficult period of its history in which we have re-built following three successive preliminary finals appearances and a cyclical downturn coupled with the unfortunately-timed loss of key players when GWS and GCS were introduced to the competition, and key draft choices which ordinarily would have been available to us were given to the new clubs," he said.
"Under his leadership, the club has maintained membership levels through this period of indifferent on-field performance and he has maintained the economic position of the club through that difficult time."
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