• Recruitment firm Acorn has appointed Richard Hilliard as the company’s first in-house recruitment consultant. Having previously worked for Blue Arrow and Gap Personnel, Hilliard then launched his own personal training business before re-joining the recruitment industry as an account manager for Newton Abbot and Plymouth with Acorn in 2015. He takes on the newly created role of talent scout within Acorn’s human resources department.

• The Big Table Group, operator of restaurants Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge, has appointed Debbie Moore as the company’s new HR director. Starting on 15 February, she has more than 25 years’ experience in senior HR positions in retail and hospitality, having worked as head of HR at Arcadia, and HR director for companies including the Post Office, Spirit Pub Company, The Restaurant Group and GLH Hotels. Big Table Group aims to open 50 new restaurants and refurbish 70 sites over the next three years, investing in excess of £50m and creating 1,250 new jobs in the process.

• People advisory firm New Street Consulting Group has appointed Graham Atkins as managing partner. Atkins joins after 16 years at executive search firm Korn Ferry, where he was a senior partner. He will take a board role at NSCG, supporting the business’ strategic development.

• VIQU has appointed Storm Robertson as lead consultant in its Southampton office. She specialises in software developer recruitment and brings over eight years of experience from within the industry.