Super Retail Group, which owns Rebel, Supercheap Auto, BCF and Macpac, has announced Fonterra executive Judith Swales as its new chairwoman to replace Sally Pitkin, who will retire from the board after the October annual general meeting.

Ms Pitkin’s planned exit was flagged at the group’s AGM in 2022. Her departure comes as employment law firm Harmers Workplace Lawyers is yet to lodge any legal claims over an alleged secret intimate relationship between the retailer’s chief executive, Anthony Heraghty, and head of human resources, Jane Kelly.