Inverness firm Orion Group said it had appointed a new chief operating officer for the Americas and west Africa.
Orion, which specialises in engineering recruitment, said Gary Benson would succeed Ken Macgregor, who is retiring after seven years with the business.
Mr Benson, originally from Invergordon and who will be based at Orion’s Inverness office, has worked overseas previously for operators Chevron and ExxonMobil. He will oversee a team of 25 and divisions with a combined annual turnover of £105million, making up more than a quarter of Orion’s revenue.
Mr Benson said: “Orion is already well established in both regions, so I’m looking forward to continuing the good work carried out by my predecessor. I’m particularly interested in the development potential of Brazil, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.”
Orion chairman Alan Savage said Mr Benson’s international experience would be a great asset.