JUST three days after announcing Mark Haysman as the new chief executive, Greg Boulton yesterday announced his retirement after 17 years as president of Port Adelaide.

It comes in the wake of resignations of a new finance manager and communications manager this year, plus the loss of other key people, but Boulton said the moves were coincidental and that he — with the knowledge of Port's board — had planned his retirement for some time.

Current deputy president Brett Duncanson was elected by the board to take over as president after the club's annual general meeting, which will be held on December 15.

Boulton, one of the three longest-serving AFL presidents, was instrumental in Port's unsuccessful AFL bid in 1990, and Port eventually winning the second SANFL AFL licence in 1994, which he described as one of his highlights as president.

"This (retirement) has been a planning process that has been going on for two or three years," Boulton said. "The time was right two or three years ago as part of our succession planning," Boulton said. "It is right to change; let someone else have a go."