Hilary Sears 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.

Ambitious young graduates would do well to seek a career in finance to act as a springboard to land top jobs on Britain’s boards.

Clive Davis, director at finance staffing specialist Robert Half, was highlighting his firm’s latest research, which shows 49% of serving chief executives in the current FTSE 100 Index have financial backgrounds, up from just 31% in 2008.

Almost a third of retailers plan to cut staffing levels in the next quarter compared with 8% this time last year, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Bond Pearce Retail Employment Monitor (REM).

The research also shows six in 10 retailers plan to maintain headcount over the next quarter.

Recruiters should brief candidates properly before sending them along for interview, according to Taryn Grossman, senior recruiter at Siemens’ Energy Sector.