De Vere appoints 35-year-old Chief Executive

De Vere Group, the hotel and leisure operator, surprised yesterday by announcing the appointment of Carl Leaver, the 35-year-old head of Whitbread's Travel Inn budget hotel chain, as chief executive. Mr Leaver, who has previously worked for Nomura, Forte and Mars, will replace Paul Dermody, who retires at the end of August.

Mr Dermody, who has been with the company for 40 years, announced his intention to retire at May's half-year results. Lord Daresbury, 50, the non-executive chairman of De Vere and a scion of the founding Greenall family, is expected to adopt a slightly more hands-on role once Mr Leaver joins on September 1 than he did with the more experienced Mr Dermody.