Oil and gas producer Beach Energy’s chairman Bob Kennedy is stepping down after almost 17 years in the position.

On Wednesday, Mr Kennedy confirmed to the board that he would not be seeking re-election as a director at November’s general meeting.

Beach Energy is a South Australian based oil and gas production company that operates mainly in the Australian outback.

Mr Kennedy has been a director at Beach since 1991, became chairman in 1995, and during his tenure has seen the company surge into the ASX top 100 with a global portfolio of assets.

The outgoing chairman wanted to give time for the company to find a suitable replacement, and said that he was looking forward to pursuing other interests.

“I have plenty of other exciting opportunities in front of me which I look forward to as well as still watching the continued growth of Beach,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Beach’s managing director Reg Nelson has resigned from his position as a director of Ramelius Resources.

Mr Nelson wanted to devote his energy to his role at Beach as the company seeks to ramp up its production program.