Nobel Biocare finance chief exit hits shares

ZURICH (Reuters) - Nobel Biocare NOBN.VX said its chief financial officer had resigned, the latest in a string of changes in top management, sending shares in the Swiss dental implant maker sharply lower.

In a brief statement on Friday, Nobel Biocare said Dirk Kirsten, who joined the company in 2008, would step down from his position on January 31, 2013 to pursue other opportunities. The company did not name a successor.

"With Dirk Kirsten leaving, the management board is still not coming to a rest as there were many changes in the past year and a half," Vontobel analyst Carla Baenziger said in a note.

Kirsten's departure comes after the exit of Chairman Heino von Prondzynski, who announced his resignation last July. Domenico Scala also stepped down as chief executive in April 2011 after three and a half years at the helm.

Shares in Nobel Biocare were down 3.7 percent at 9.245 Swiss francs by 0835 GMT, compared to a 0.2 percent firmer European healthcare index .SXDP.

(Reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)