LIBERTY Steel Group, part of Sanjeev Gupta’s sustainable industry leader GFG Alliance, has strengthened its Board with the appointment of Denise Timns as an executive director and Monica Middleton as a non-executive director.

According to Liberty, the new appointments continue the company's efforts to 'broaden the expertise of its senior management team as it continues its strong growth worldwide'.

Denise Timns is the chief human resources officer for GFG Alliance, having joined the group in March 2016. She has over 20 years experience in specialist and generalist HR roles, having been in senior HR positions within the commodity trading sector. As part of her last global head of HR role she was based in Geneva and responsible for an industrial/asset based subsidiary of one of the world’s leading global commodities traders which had over 2,000 employees throughout the world. In this role she was involved in integrating several acquisitions and implementing HR strategies across greenfield sites.

Monica Middleton has 30 years’ experience across a diverse range of blue chip companies and SMEs, helping to deliver impactful business, marketing and communications strategies. Her focus over the past eight years has been on organisations which pursue a blend of financial, environmental and social imperatives, with her most recent executive position being UK managing director for Dutch international ESG investor, Oikocredit. Alongside LIBERTY, she is currently a non-executive director for Cafédirect plc (also chair of their Guardian Share Company and its remuneration & nominations committee); the Ethical Property Company plc (also chair of its property investment committee); and UK Women in Social Finance. She has held executive roles at Dyson Electronics, BBDO and the BBC and holds a first-class BSc in Business Administration and an MSc in sustainability and social responsibility.

Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman of GFG Alliance and LIBERTY Steel Group, commented: “I am very pleased to welcome Denise and Monica onto the LIBERTY Steel board. I have worked with Denise for many years as we have built LIBERTY into one of the world’s leading steel companies, founded on a deep set of values. I welcome Monica to the company and expect her strong commercial and marketing background and expertise in driving environmental, social and governance change to bring huge value to the board."