Public sector recruiter Rockpools has appointed the chair and chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, the body responsible for the infrastructure of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

David Higgins has been appointed chief executive and Jack Lemley has been appointed chairman.

Higgins is currently chief executive of the government’s national regeneration agency, English Partnerships. He was previously chief executive of Lend Lease Group in Australia, which helped develop the Olympic Village for Sydney’s 2000 Games.

From 1989 to 1993, Lemley was chief executive of Transmanche-Link, the Anglo-French consortium that built the Channel Tunnel. The two men will begin preparatory work for their roles in January.