Appleby Westward Group, the regional distribution company for retailer SPAR stores in South-West England, has appointed Joanne Findlay as human resources director.

Findlay joins from Roadchef Motorways, where she was responsible for the company’s field HR team and also previously worked for Boots the Chemist.

I’m very excited. It is an interesting challenge. There is a lot to do here in terms of change management and leadership development. It is a very broad role and I am pleased to be given the opportunity to do it

Experienced in training, development and employee relations, Findlay is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and is a holder of the Institute’s Certificate in Personnel Practice.

John Pattison, managing director of Appleby Westward, said: “This is a significant appointment for the company, the first time we have appointed an HR colleague at director level. It underlines our commitment to attracting, training, developing, coaching and retaining great talent within our company.”

Digital recruitment company Propel London has hired James Webb (left) as business director. Webb was previously at Propel London between 2003 and 2009, starting out as a recruitment consultant before becoming sales director. He will be involved across the Propel London and Propel Executive arms of the group.

Anne Lim O’Brien has rejoined executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles as partner in the consumer markets and the CEO & Board practices in New York. O’Brien, previously head of the consumer markets practice within the Americas, joins from Russell Reynolds, where she was partner and co-leader of the consumer products and services practice for North America.

Professional staffing recruitment consultancy Barclay Meade, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Matchtech Group, has appointed Sunjeev Maini as managing consultant and Michaela Poust as lead consultant. Maini will lead a team of consultants in placing candidates working across the commercial, technical industrial and financial services sectors. Poust joins from recruitment consultancy MacMillan Davies Hodes and will be responsible for driving the growth of Barclay Meade’s specialist HR recruitment team at its St Albans office. This includes temporary contracts, interim management positions and permanent staff.

Global executive search firm Kincannon & Reed has appointed Janet Wightman managing director, with a focus on growing the firm’s Canadian business. Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Wightman was previously a senior executive in the financial services industry with a focus on the agribusiness sector. Most recently, she was president and chief executive of Victoria Park Capital, a venture capital and private equity fund manager, with a majority of exposure to the agricultural sector.

Hilary Sears (left) has been appointed as director of InterimWomen a business network that supports women working as interim managers, set up by interim provider Russam GMS. Sears, who will be responsible for leading the organisation’s growth and development, is an executive coach and mentor who specialises in working with women to help them reach their full potential in the workplace.

Talent management provider SHL has appointed Stephen Read as vice-president of sales for UK and Ireland, and Claire Little as vice-president of professional services for UK and Ireland. Read will spearhead SHL’s new business propositions in the talent acquisition and talent mobility fields, while Little’s focus will be to enable the consulting business to work closer with SHL’s clients.

US-based Magellan Search Group has brought in Jeff Olshin as part of its executive management team. Magellan, an accounting, finance and renewable energy staffing and consulting firm in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia, has also acquired JSO Staffing, the firm that Olshin founded, which will now operate as part of the Magellan Search Group.

Multi-sector recruiter Sundial Resourcing has appointed Emma Dovey as director. Dovey will lead the firm’s rec-to-rec division. She joins from Code Blue Recruitment.

IT and financial services recruiter Bright Purple Resourcing has taken on Iain Geddes (left) as business manager Asia for its new office in Singapore. Geddes, who has spent the last two years based in Thailand with international technical recruiter Vinarco Group, will focus on contract and permanent IT and financial services recruitment in a number of key South-East Asian markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand.