Cooper will be based in Manchester and her role will cover the whole UK food retail business for the Co-operative.

In April, as head of Morrisons’ retail resourcing team, Cooper won Most Effective Recruitment Campaign at the Recruiter Awards for Excellence 2010, supported by Innovate CV. Linking up with creative agency Jupiter Advertising, the campaign focused on increasing the supermarket’s foothold in the South of England from its traditional heartland in the North.

I am extremely excited about my move to the Co-operative in Manchester

Rowena Cooper, Co-operative

Before joining WM Morrisons, Cooper was recruitment manager for the Chilled & Frozen Divisions at Northern Foods and recruitment resourcer at Experian.

International recruiter Hudson has appointed former Adecco Group and Kelly Services senior operating executive Catherine King as its new UK/Ireland/Middle East (Dubai) chief executive. King’s appointment to Hudson’s global senior leadership team follows former president and chief executive Christine Raynaud’s departure last August.

Life science interim specialist PiR Interims has appointed Claire Abrams as candidate relationship manager. Abrams was previously membership manager of ERBI, the not-for-profit organisation for international life science and healthcare companies.

Former chief executive of specialist finance recruitment consultancy Martin Ward Anderson (MWA), Richard Wright, has been appointed CEO at Archer Mathieson, replacing founder John Archer who recently left the business to pursue other interests. Wright also joins the main board of The Cornhill Partnership which comprises Archer Mathieson, Correlate Search, Euromedica and BIE Interim Executive.

Executive search consultancy RMG has appointed Mark Wilding and Sam Meakin to its board of directors. Wilding will be responsible for technology, consulting, consumer and chemicals, while Meakin will be responsible for healthcare. Along with managing director, Andrew Evans, and non-executive director, Maurice Summerson, they will form RMG’s first board.

International recruiter Hays has appointed Alan Thomson as a non-executive director. Thomson joins the board and is set become chairman following Hay’s AGM on 10 November. He will replace present chairman Bob Lawson who is to retire from the board.

Multi-sector recruiter Elevation Recruitment has appointed identical twins Rachel (top left) and Fran Lee
(bottom left) as business managers. Rachel will focus on jobs in the sales and financial services sectors, while Fran will focus on the accountancy and finance sectors.

Engineering solutions provider and project specialist Voltas has appointed Avinash Dixit as business group HR head. Dixit joins the India-based Electro Mechanical & Refrigeration business group of Voltas as its head of human resources, having worked with companies like Bajaj Auto, Larsen & Toubro as head of HR for their diversified business group.

International HR consulting group Penna has appointed Fiona Makowski as sector head in its executive search team. She has been a director at a number of firms including Whitehead Mann, Korn/Ferry and Oxygen, where she worked mainly in retail financial services.

Jonathan Margrave has joined accounting services provider JSA as head of sales. Margrave has spent 18 years in the recruitment industry with high profile recruiters including Hays, Reed and Capita, and recently as a provider to the industry with Charterhouse Group (FPS).

Global executive search firm DHR International has appointed David McCormack as managing director - global head of investment banking, global markets and hedge funds, based in its New York office. McCormack was previously managing director and head of equities at financial services boutique Sheffield Haworth.