MR PETER Webster has been appointed chairman and chief executive of the Ireland/UK division of the Jefferson Smurfit Group. The appointment takes effect on June 1st.

Mr Webster (53) has been regional operations director of the division since February 1995 and a member of the group executive committee. Four regional operations directors and an 11 person executive committee were appointed to assist the group chairman and chief executive, Dr Michael Smurfit, when Mr Howard Kilroy retired.

Mr Webster succeeds Mr Paddy Wright, who was recently appointed group president and chief operations officer. Mr Wright succeeded Mr Kilroy as number two to Dr Smurfit.

A commerce graduate of University College Dublin, Mr Webster joined the group in 1978 after 12 years in the oil industry in west and central Africa. He was managing director of the group distribution division from 1984 to 1987 when he moved to run the packaging and natural resources division.

Mr Webster will concentrate more "on the medium and long term strategic perspective" in his new role, he said yesterday.

"My involvement in the Ireland/UK operations has been very much hands on. Now I will take a more macro perspective, looking at where we are going strategically in both countries.

As chairman and chief executive of the Ireland/UK division, Mr Webster will run an operation employing 6,700 people with an annual turnover of £628 million.