John Crabtree has been appointed to the role of non-executive chairman of industrial recruiter Staffline.

According to a trading statement released this morning, his appointment is part of a move to split the roles of chairman and chief executive “in line with the next phase of its growth strategy and to maintain the highest standards of corporate governance”.

Crabtree previously served as senior independent director.

Andy Hogarth, who had held the roles of both chairman and CEO, will continue as CEO, the statement said.

Hogarth told the Annual General Meeting this morning that the group had shown “good growth” against the previous year’s trading: “It remains too early to draw firm conclusions about the year as a whole, particularly as we move into the second half of the year with tougher comparables to the prior year. However, the board is confident that the group will comfortably meet market expectations.”

He credited the board’s confidence to the company’s OnSite offering and increased need from clients for temporary workforce.