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Pegler will join the group on 7 January 2008 and will formally succeed the retiring Chris Burr as group finance director at the Annual General Meeting in May 2008.

Pegler, 39, is a chartered accountant with extensive experience in international organisations. From 2002 until earlier this year he was group finance director of Whittan Group Limited, a private equity backed international manufacturing business.

He had previously spent seven years at Wagon plc, initially as group financial controller and subsequently as divisional finance director of Wagon's storage systems business. Before joining Wagon, he was a corporate finance manager at chartered accountants Price Waterhouse.

Hill & Smith is a decentralised group primarily serving the infrastructure, galvanizing, building and construction industries. It is one of the largest suppliers of galvanised steel in the UK.

The group supplies such products as safety barriers and street lighting columns. It has been helped in this area by strong demand resulting from the increased focus on health and safety, the ageing road and rail networks and the need for airport expansion.

In response to the need for transport infrastructure improvements, Hill & Smith has invested heavily in this area of its business, including the acquisition of businesses with complementary product lines as well as new technology.

Hill & Smith's (LSE:HILS) chief executive Derek Muir said, "We are delighted Mark is joining us. His background in international manufacturing businesses and strong financial and operational leadership will further strengthen our management structure."

Related links

• Hill & Smith Holdings PLC