North-East members of the Institute of Directors (IoD) have welcomed the appointment of David Marshall as director of public affairs.

Mr Marshall, who will be based at the IoD's headquarters in London, will be responsible for conveying the policies and views of the IoD to key stakeholder groups.

With more than 20 years experience working in Whitehall, Westminster and the private sector, he joins the IoD from Unilever, where he was head of government relations for Unilever and also its associated operating companies.

Prior to this Mr Marshall was public affairs manager for Kingfisher.