Mr Killian O'Higgins (41), managing director of DTZ Sherry FitzGerald, commercial arm of the Sherry FitzGerald group, has been appointed managing director of DTZ International.

Mr O'Higgins will be responsible primarily for the non-UK European operational activity of DTZ Holdings, one of the world's leading real estate firms. DTZ's European business includes offices in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Russia, Sweden and Turkey.

Mr O'Higgins's resignation from the Irish company was announced to the stock exchange yesterday. He will remain as a non-executive director of Sherry FitzGerald Group plc. Mr Mark FitzGerald, chief executive of the Sherry FitzGerald group, will take over operational responsibility for DTZ Sherry FitzGerald.