The government of the Isle of Man has appointed chartered accountant Michael Charlton as its new director of international business development in a move it hopes will help attract new UK and international business to the island.

He will focus primarily on markets in target areas such as the Middle East, China and Russia, as part of the government’s new country strategy – being developed in conjunction with the private sector.

Charlton, who was chosen for the position by the Department of Economic Development and the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce, was previously chief executive at Think London, the UK capital's foreign direct investment agency. He has 20 years of experience in international consultative sales and business development, business attraction and economic development, location promotion, city and nation branding and the Olympic Games.

Charlton also spent 10 years at KPMG where he was trained and later managed audit and corporate finance assignments.

“The island’s future prosperity depends on attracting more new business, not just from the UK but from much further afield,” said Allan Bell, minister for economic development in a press release. “We needed someone with the reputation, profile, and proven track record that Michael Charlton has, to help us in this regard.”

In other recent developments, the Isle of Man recently signed tax information exchange agreements with Mexico, Japan and Poland.