Wright, who joined Eldorado in 1996 and has held several management positions prior to becoming its president and CEO in 1999, will be the company's new chairman.
The project, discovered in 2006, is one of the world’s biggest recent gold findings, with reserves estimated at about 4.8 million ounces of gold and 6.3 million ounces of silver.
Scientist from Victoria University of Wellington says too little is known about the seafloor communities found in in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone.
Russian-Canadian Vera Kirikova will become human resources group executive while Simone Niven will assume the corporate relations group executive post.
The move is part of the new government's strategy to rebuild trust on the project following deadly protests that halted exports from the mine in October.