Kathryn Cearns OBE has been appointed as a non-executive director of Highways England for three years.

Ms Cearns is a chartered accountant, with extensive senior level experience in both the public and private sectors.

Her career has included roles as independent chairman of the Financial Reporting Advisory Board to HM Treasury and as a project director at the UK Accounting Standards Board (now the Financial Reporting Council), as well as working for many years for an international law firm providing finance, audit and corporate governance advice and expertise to leading FTSE companies.

Ms Cearns holds other non-executive, trustee and advisory appointments, including as a member of the External Audit Committee for the International Monetary Fund, a non-executive director for the UK Supreme Court, a non-executive board member and member of the Audit Committee for Companies House and as a trustee for Royal British Legion Industries.

Highways England chairman Colin Matthews said: ‘I warmly welcome Kathryn to the Board of Highways England. Her strong financial skills and experience will be extremely valuable as we work to achieve the best possible value for taxpayers' money from the Government's £15bn investment in England's strategic road network.'

Ms Cearns will be paid £25,000 for a minimum of 27 days' work per annum, with an additional £3,000 for chairing a board committee.