Two top Gold Fields shareholders, Red Wheel Capital and VanEck, had publicly opposed the transaction. The attempted acquisition ended last month after Yamana backed a rival $4.8 billion takeover bid from Agnico Eagle and Pan American Silver Corp. Martin Preece, executive vice president of Gold Fields South Africa, has been appointed as the interim CEO. Preece will join the company's board of directors on Jan. 1 and has its full support, Gold Fields said in a statement.