KEY POINTS:
* The Novotel Lakeside Rotorua and Hotel Ibis Rotorua have a new food and beverage manager - Pietro Delpechitra - who brings over 25 years hospitality experience to the role. Most recently he was Food and Beverage Manager for the Spencer on Byron Hotel in Takapuna.
* Murray Webb has been appointment Madison Recruitment's executive's manager for the Auckland region. Webb has spent the past nine years in a variety of senior sales and management roles in outsourced HR services, including recruitment, psychometric testing, corporate training and job-site provision.
* AIM Proximity, the direct and interactive marketing agency, has appointed Tony Clewett to the role of art director, working alongside creative director Dave King. Clewett joins from Rivet NZ (formerly Draft NZ) where he led creative for high profile clients.
* TrainingPlus has appointed Grant Finch as a senior executive and facilitator. Finch comes from an extensive background as a designer and craftsman. He also owns Creative Resolution Ltd, a design and project management company specialising in retail fit outs for sectors as diverse as electronics, fashion and food retail.
* Andrew Yu and Luke Thompson have just completed the Shift Supervisors Course (Stage 1), of the McDonald's Restaurant's Management Development Program.
* Pohlen Kean has recently appointed new executive team members Colette Devcich and Christine Fenner. Devcich will be focusing her consulting in communications and interactive media while Christine will recruit mainly customer service and sales executive positions.
* Duncan Halliwell has joined Kensington Swan's Auckland office as an associate with the Property team (Infrastructure). Halliwell previously worked for the last seven years at UK construction law firm, Pinsent Masons. Edwin Morrison has also joined the Auckland office as an associate with the property team (infrastructure). Morrison is a commercial property specialist familiar with all types of property transactions. James Martin has joined the Wellington office of Kensington Swan as a senior associate with the property team. He previously worked as part of the corporate and commercial teams at Bell Gully in Wellington.
* Law firm Buddle Findlay has appointed Andrew Braggins as a new senior associate in its Auckland office. Braggins joins Buddle Findlay's environmental and resource management team and was previously with another major Auckland firm.
* Lance Riesterer has joined Diners Club (NZ) Limited as their national sales manager based in Auckland. Riesterer has considerable senior experience in the finance sector with both banks and finance companies.
* Fonterra has appointed Tim Deane as its new general manager of shareholder relations. Most recently, he has been the head of workplace business for Sovereign Assurance.
* Brian Smaill has assumed the role of chief executive of Criterion Group, replacing Laurie Margrain who has stepped down to spend more time on other business interests. Smaill, along with brother Wally, founded Criterion more than 40 years ago.
* Simpl New Zealand Ltd has made several new appointments: Denise Wood is consulting practice manager and was previously a partner at Bearing Point in the UK. Gabrielle Still is leading the customer interactions management business. She was previously an application consultant at Telstra Clear Ltd in Auckland. Kate Holtmeier is marketing manager. She was previously with telecommunications company Level 3, in Colorado, USA.
* Wintec Tourism tutor Ian Schultz has been elected as vice president of NZITT (New Zealand Institute of Travel and Tourism) at the AGM in Christchurch. Schultz has been on the national council for the past twelve months.
* Optimation has appointed Matt Takai, a senior business analyst, to their software services team. He comes to work at Optimation from his last role at Marsh Limited.
* Richard Parry has joined information management and infrastructure services specialists TechTonics as a senior consultant. He has an extensive background as an IT engineer and consultant, with experience in Microsoft server technologies and operating systems, systems architecture, and security.
* Karen Price, Jason Welsh and Mark Sly have established a new environment law and strategy specialist practice called ChanceryGreen in Chancery Square, Auckland. Formerly partners at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, Price, Welsh and Sly have established ChanceryGreen to provide corporate and commercial services in environment, energy, climate change, resource and planning law.
* Garry Forward has been appointed chief financial officer (CFO) of NZ Windfarms. He was most recently with Ngai Tahu Holdings Corporation where he held several positions, including Company Secretary and CFO.
SSL International has appointed David Rae as country manager for their New Zealand business. Prior to moving to New Zealand Rae was export sales and marketing manager at SSL's UK head office.
* TeamTalk has appointed Langford Heslop as chief operating officer to manage its mobile radio division. Heslop has more than 20 years experience in the technology sector in New Zealand.
* Kevin McCaffrey has been appointed as the CEO of the New Zealand Shareholders Association on a part time basis. Kevin is a former Partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting.