People on the move

Budget hotel chain Premier Lodge has chosen CATRIONA LOUGHER-SMITH as its new brand manager. Working alongside brand director Nick Read, she is charged with moving the hotel brand into second place in the market. She brings with her 10 years of marketing experience and has joined from electrical retailer Dixons, where she was advertising manager responsible for launching marketing campaigns for the Currys and PC World brands. Premier Lodge has 139 sites nationwide, with properties ranging in size from 15 to 278 bedrooms.

Alain Lhermitte, owner of restaurant Mon Plaisir, has welcomed FRANCK RAYMOND to his chef team. The restaurant was established in the 1940s and claims to be London's oldest French restaurant. Raymond has previously worked for chefs Rowley Leigh at Kensington Place as head pastry chef and, most recently, as head chef at Marco Pierre White's Criterion Brasserie in London, a role in which he also spent time at the chef's Mirabelle restaurant, also in London. Before working in London he was head chef at the Genevan restaurant Marignac.

Hanover International, the UK-based hotel and conference centre group which has 15 locations across the country, has a new man at the helm in the form of managing director RON MILLS. The chartered accountant has a background in the retailing, hotels and leisure markets. Mills replaces founder and former group executive chairman Peter Eyles, who resigned from the company last month following a £38.2m takeover of Hanover International by Jack Petchey through his investment company Trefick.

Coombe Abbey hotel in Coventry has appointed CAROLINE PARKES general manager. The four-star hotel, in 500 acres of Warwickshire parkland, was built in 1150 and renovated in 1995. Parkes joins from the New Hall hotel in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, where she spent 16 years, latterly as general manager.

NISH KANKIWALA will become president of American burger chain Burger King's international operation later this month. Reporting to chief executive officer Brad Blum, he will be based at Burger King International's headquarters in Uxbridge, Middlesex. Kankiwala joins from PepsiCo Beverages International, where he was in operations, sales and general management roles for eight years. Most recently he was president for the Europe business unit of PepsiCo Beverages International.

Two food and beverage positions have been filled at the five-star Carlton Tower hotel in London. SIMON YOUNG has joined as executive chef, having previously been head chef at the Great Eastern hotel in London. Also on his CV are stints as premier sous chef at London's Dorchester hotel and executive chef at Virgin Atlantic Airways. PAUL SKINNER (pictured left) is the other new starter at the hotel, as food and beverage director, a role that also takes in sister site the Lowndes hotel. Skinner has previously been food and beverage manager at the Conrad hotel in London, and conference and banqueting manager and assistant food and beverage manager at the Balmoral hotel in Edinburgh.

HELEN SMITH has joined the Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle as sales and marketing director. She was previously at the five-star Lanesborough hotel in London, where she had worked for the past 14 years, latterly as sales and marketing director. Managing director Peter Crome said the appointment was vital to his plans to develop individual and corporate membership within the UK and worldwide at the Scottish site. The property is set on the 7,500-acre Skibo estate on Dornoch Firth and includes the Carnegie Links championship golf course.

Executive recruitment company Chess Partnership has appointed GEORGINA EDWARDS a recruitment consultant at its Nottingham office. Previously an operations manager with pub chain Slug & Lettuce, Edwards will focus her attention on restaurant and bar recruitment. JO HOLLMAN has also joined the Nottingham office, as an associate consultant. She previously worked with Carnival Cruise Lines in the USA for four years. Most recently she was assistant food and beverage manager at a hotel golf and leisure club in Suffolk. In London, JEANETTE LUND has joined as associate consultant, having previously worked in the information technology industry specialising in sales support, industrial research and recruitment. At Chess she will work with the contract team on business and industry, education, health and facilities management services. FEMKE TER MEULEN has also joined the London office as associate consultant. SIAN ROBERTSON completes the appointments, joining Chess's Edinburgh office, also as an associate consultant. She was previously at Edinburgh's Naiper University, where she achieved an honours degree in tourism management.

Austin Frost, the recently promoted vice-president of international sales at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, has announced the appointment of CELINE DOYLE, who joins the company as sales manager for France and Belgium. She will report to Joan Lewis, the director of sales for Western Europe. Doyle joins from Hyatt Hotels in France, where she was director of worldwide sales. She is based in Shangri-La's London sales office. Founded in 1971 with a hotel in Singapore, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts nowadays has 41 properties in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.

Michelin-starred London Indian restaurant Tamarind has recruited SABRINA GHAYOUR as event sales manager to head its new outdoor catering and events service, which launches later this month. The catering service will continue to offer the same … la carte cuisine as the restaurant, but will also be introducing a contemporary menu. It will also offer an "at home" option, by which senior chefs and waiters from Tamarind will go to customers' houses to cater for dinner parties or drinks receptions. Ghayour was previously corporate sales manager at the Oriental Restaurant Group, overseeing the launch of its events sales department, and working alongside consultant chef Ken Hom.

• Please send your On the move stories to chris.druce@rbi.co.uk, giving start date, details of the appointee's previous job and, if possible, a head-and-shoulders photograph.. How would

Esposito moves up at Noble House

Noble House Leisure has appointed PEPPINO ESPOSITO to the newly created role of chief operating officer to oversee 33 restaurants, including Oriental Restaurant Group's signature brands Yellow River Café and Jim Thompson's.

He has been with the company since just after its inception in June 2000 as operations director for Oriental Restaurant Group and Yellow River.

His previous experience includes a position as operations director for Corus & Regal Hotels' restaurant arm, the Restaurant Partnership, in charge of UK and Europe. Esposito has also held senior positions with London's Berners and Royal Lancaster hotels, and Sarova Hotels.

The company said the creation of the new role was part of its bid to become a market leader in UK Oriental cuisine. Nobel House Leisure has 6,000 employees in the UK.