The chair of English National Opera (ENO), Martin Smith, has stepped down, citing a campaign of “relentless vigour” by “the media and certain members of the arts community” in his letter to the ENO board as the reason for his departure.

Making a strong case for his managerial record, Smith’s letter said that he felt a point had been reached “where I feel it would no longer serve the best interests of ENO for me to continue in office”.

Smith began as ENO chair in 2001 and his tenure saw him implement a major cost-saving and redundancy programme, as well as the £40m restoration of its home, the London Coliseum.

Smith’s resignation is the latest in a series of management problems at the ENO which began in 2002 with the dismissal of ENO’s popular and respected general director, Nicholas Payne, following a reportedly disappointing financial and artistic performance.

Smith’s managerial skills also came under fire when he appointed Seán Doran, who had never before worked in an opera house, as Payne’s successor. This led to the resignation of ENO’s music director Paul Daniel, following a number of reported clashes with Doran.

In December this year, Smith reacted strongly to media suggestions that after the company was experiencing turbulent times within its top-end management team claims that the departure of Doran after just over two years in the post may not have been entirely amicable on either side.

While Doran was replaced as chief executive by executive director Loretta Tomasi and as artistic director by director of opera programming John Berry, Smith reportedly neither advertised the posts nor cleared their appointments with the Arts Council.

Although Smith wrote a letter to The Times newspaper, published on 5 December, in which he called the reports about management changes at the company both inaccurate and misleading, prominent figures in the arts sector nonetheless began to call for his resignation.

Smith will be temporarily replaced by the current deputy chair, Vernon Ellis, before a new, permanent chair is found after a public search has been made by the ENO. Details: www.eno.org

Photograph: Madame Butterfly by Johan Persson