The Northern Ireland chartered accountancy and management consultancy firm, BDO Stoy Hayward, which trades as BDO Simpson Xavier in the Republic, has announced three appointments.

Ms Una O'Neill has taken up the post of manager of the human resources consulting division. She has held previous consultancy roles with Deloitte and Touche and Parity Solutions.

Ms Judith Boyle has joined the company as a consultant in the tourism and hospitality division. She previously worked as tourism officer with Antrim Borough Council.

Mr John D'Arcy has joined the company as a manager in the management consultancy division.

A new branch of the Dublin-based marketing consultancy, Marketing Impact, has opened in Tullamore, Co Offaly, and Ms Gwen O'Donoghue has been appointed general manager.

A native of Tullamore, Ms O'Donoghue, is leaving Dublin-based public relations agency, Gilmore Communications.

"The midlands has enjoyed a vibrant and expanding economy particularly in recent times with a broad range of companies in the service and manufacturing sector attracted to the region," says Ms O'Donoghue. She added that Marketing Impact hopes to capitalise on some of this.

The Minister of Finance, Mr McCreevy, has appointed two directors to ACC Bank.

The first is Mr Jimmy O'Loughlin a farmer from Co Kildare and director of Doyle Concrete, Prestige Property Evaluation and Rathangan Voluntary Housing Association.

The second is Mr Brendan Patrick Malone, a chartered accountant in private practice with Malone and Power. He is also director of MSL Construction, a construction company involved in private house building.

Standard Life Assurance has appointed Mr Emmet O'Connaill as corporate analyst. He will be responsible for the management of strategic research and development at Standard Life.

Previously he worked in Standard Life's Edinburgh office where he carried out strategic analysis work on Standard Life's expansion plans for Europe and Asia.

Standard Life is Europe's largest mutual life assurance company.

The Dublin radio station, 98FM, has appointed Ms Liz Mc- Donald as an advertising executive. She has previously worked at 98FM's sister stations in the Czech Republic and in Stockholm. She also has experience in the radio market in Australia and New Zealand.

The former press officer with the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU), Ms Catherine Heaney, has joined the Labour Party press office.

Mr Adam Mullan, has been appointed as underwriting manager with ACE Insurance. ACE is an insurance company specialising in high payments but low loss frequencies, which recently established its European base in Dublin's International Financial Services Centre. Mr Mark Kealy has joined the company as general manager, after leaving his position as a director of the Willis Corroon captive management company in Dublin.

Mr Barry Brady has been appointed development officer of the Irish Security Industry Association. He has held a number of senior management positions in AIB, including facilities manager at the AIB Branch Services Centre.

Mr James Brewster has been appointed director of the Institute of Designers of Ireland. He previously worked in marketing and management roles with Unilever, Maguire and Paterson and Diners Club International.