Premier Foods has named Jim Smart as its new group finance director. Smart joins the food manufacturer from Friends Provident, where he was chief financial officer. Prior to that he was finance head at Boots.

Thorntons has confirmed Mark Robson will join the company on 2 November. He will succeed John Wall as finance director on his formal appointment to Thorntons' board of directors on 4 December, at which time Wall will step down.

The Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group has appointed Rob Mitchell as commercial director. Mitchell has extensive experience of the food industry, having previously worked for Grampian Foods, Bernard Matthews and Anglo Beef Processors. More recently he was group commercial manager for Macrae Foods.

Food and drink investment banking firm Stamford Partners has named Maarten ter Haar as partner. He joins Stamford from Rabobank, where he was head of the European food & agri M&A team and co-head of the global co-operation between Rabobank and NM Rothschild.

Northern Foods has confirmed that finance director Simon Herrick will join the company on 4 January.

Richard Davis and Hugh Parker have been selected by First Milk's local representatives to serve as farmer directors on the First Milk board of directors. Mike Gorton has also been re-elected. Mansel Raymond leaves the board but remains a local representative for north west Pembrokeshire.

Sodexo has named Sonja Rowe as senior business development manager for its education division. Rowe joins from Avenance where she was national sales manager for education.

Aluminium foil container manufacturer Nicholl Food Packaging is to begin a major new product development programme following the appointment of a new senior management team and the completion of a financial restructuring. Bill Speirs has been appointed chairman, John Griffiths as group CEO and Simon Paul as group finance director.