Christopher Rodrigues has been appointed as chairman of Openwork Group.

He replaces Kate Avery as Openwork chair.

Rodrigues (pictured), who takes up the role with immediate effect, is currently chairman of consumer lending business International Personal Finance plc. He was previously president and chief executive of Visa International (2004-2006) and group chief executive of Bradford and Bingley (1996-2004) when it was committed to providing face-to-face financial advice. He led B&B’s IPO in 2000 and entry into the FTSE 100 index two years later.

Prior to B&B, Rodrigues was chief operating officer then group chief executive of Thomas Cook (1988-1996). He has also held senior roles in organisations including American Express, where he spent nine years, and the FSA, where he was non-executive director from 1997 to 2003.

Mary-Anne McIntyre, CEO of Openwork, said: “We are very fortunate to have attracted someone with the talent and extensive leadership experience Christopher possesses. Having moved into profitability and successfully negotiated the transition to the RDR, Openwork is in a very strong position in the adviser market.

“I believe Christopher’s knowledge and guidance will be of huge benefit to us as we build on our recent progress, particularly in reinforcing the importance of the mortgage market to our business.”

Rodrigues said: “It is with great pleasure that I join the Openwork board. Mary-Anne and the senior management team have done a remarkable job in a challenging regulatory environment and I look forward to offering my support to help drive the continued success of the business.”