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John Stansfield will relinquish his role as finance director of the model train and Scalextric manufacturer, but will continue in his capacity as group company secretary and will continue as finance director of Hornby Hobbies Limited, the main operating subsidiary of the group.

The model train and Scalextric makers announced a 44 per cent rise in interim pre-tax profits before amortisation and currency adjustments to £2.6 million earlier this month. Results were boosted by the introduction of digital technology in its model railway and slot car racing products. Hornby said that the ranges linked to its licence with Lewis Hamilton’s Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One team are set to become best-sellers this Christmas.

Morris (45), a qualified accountant, was finance director of Speedo International, the branded swimwear wholesale and retailing group, between 2000 and 2006. Speedo International, a part of the Pentland Group, has an extensive global presence with distribution in over 170 countries, managed through a network of subsidiaries, third party distributors and third party licensees.

During his time at Speedo, Morris served as interim CEO on two separate occasions. Prior to that, he spent 16 years with Glaxo Smithkline plc, including positions as finance and logistics director, Africa. He will join the board as group finance director on 26 November 2007.

Carrington, until recently managing director and deputy chairman of McLaren Group, will join the board as a non-executive director on 1 December 2007. He is a corporate lawyer and, prior to joining McLaren, was managing partner of Baker & McKenzie, London and chairman of the firm's European/Middle East Regional Council. Carrington is a non-executive director of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and chairman of its investment committee.

Rolfe, a qualified accountant, was finance director of Gallaher Group Plc for 7 years until April 2007, when the group was acquired for £9.8 billion by Japan Tobacco Inc. He is leaving Gallaher on 31 December 2007 after 21 years in various finance and executive roles, and will join the board as a non-executive director with effect from 1 January 2008.

Neil Johnson, chairman of Hornby, said, "Hornby has grown dramatically over the past few years and is now a more complex and demanding international business. The appointments announced today place the group in a much stronger position to continue to take full advantage of the opportunities that we envisage over the coming years."

Related links

• Hornby Plc
• Scalextric
• Airfix