Elected to the position at a time when the government plans to enact legislation which will remove the AWB’s single desk wheat export powers, Mr Schirmer’s tenure as a director may be a short one.

Planning ahead to be viable in a competitive market, the AWB has sought changes to the constitution which could see only two directors representing growers and Class A (grower) and Class B (investor) shareholders abolished to create a single class of shareholders.

Last week, AWB Ltd failed to secure constitutional change at its annual meeting held in Melbourne on Tuesday. Although the combined vote of A and B-Class shareholders achieved the required 75 percent vote with an 88.2 percent majority it was overruled by a vote taken at a meeting of A-class shareholders which followed.