Danish shipping group A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S said Jakob Stausholm, its chief finance, strategy and transformation officer and registered director, is leaving the group amid a major restructuring and digital drive.

Stausholm will step down from the executive board by the end of March 2018.

The company also announced changes in the organization. It decided to make finance a separate unit, which previously was combined with the transformation, IT and digital unit.

The IT function will report directly to Søren Skou, the company's chief executive, to hasten the business transformation, said Maersk.