Eircom chairman Ned Sullivan will step down from his position at the end of 2012.

He has attributed the decision, which he relayed to the Ireland-based operator’s board last week, to personal reasons.

"The role of chairman requires an ongoing time commitment which I am no longer in a position to make,” he said.

“It has been a great privilege to lead the board through the many challenges and changes which have faced the company during the past number of years." 

The company has not revealed any information regarding a successor, suggesting the move came out of the blue.

Sullivan’s departure continues the recent trend of high-level departures from the company.

Several new appointments were announced in August following the operator’s exit from examinership.

New eircom CEO Herb Hribar, commented: "We respect Ned’s decision to move on and would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his significant contribution to eircom, particularly through the recent examinership process and the transition to new ownership and governance.

“On a more personal note, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to Ned for the help and support he has given me over the last couple of months since I have taken on the CEO role.”