Alan Cairns has been appointed director of human resources at moneysupermarket.com. He joins from Littlewoods Shop Direct where he was group director of performance and capability.

In his new role Cairns is charged with driving progressive HR practicesas well as positioning the company as an employer of choice.Specifically, he will strengthen the workforce through objectiverecruitment, especially in IT, and plans to continue the development ofall staff throughout the company. Cairns will also be responsible foremployee communication, compensation and benefits, and instilling aperformance management culture. In addition to his most recent positionat Littlewoods Shop Direct he has 20 years' HR experience, working inhigh-profile companies such as General Electric and JCB.