Paper merchant Antalis McNaughton has appointed David Hunter as managing director for the UK, Ireland and South Africa.

Hunter has previously worked in wholesale B2B distribution at B&Q, Jewson and Wolseley.

He said: “I am delighted to have joined Antalis McNaughton and look forward to continuing the excellent work the company has done in developing the business to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”

Hunter will take over from Ian George in the next few weeks and will be based at Antalis McNaughton’s Leicestershire headquarters.

George, who presided over the merger of Antalis and James McNaughton in 2010, will retire from the company in June after 37 years in the paper industry.