Political communications company Dods Group has appointed Alastair Gornall as its new Chairman.He joined the board on Tuesday initially as a Non-Executive Director until Kevin Hand stands down as Chairman at the annual general meeting on September 26th.Gornall is currently Chairman of Blue Rubicon, the UK's leading corporate reputation consultancy.He spent three years at BusinessWeek magazine in the US before returning to London where he founded and grew two public relations businesses which were later sold through an internal management buy-out. He was Chief Executive Officer of Reed Exhibitions for six years, developing and managing a portfolio of 45 trade shows. "I am delighted to welcome Alastair to Dods," said outgoing Chairman, Hand. "Alastair has a wealth of business experience and also brings significant insight into our business sector. He will make a hugely valuable contribution." RD