Shake-up in Merrill HR
The move is a departure from the old system of regional HR chiefs. Woodroffe will be responsible for all business and support groups in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Latin America and Canada. The US, however, remains separate.
He will report to Terry Cassel, global head of HR in New York.
Woodroffe's appointment follows the departure from the firm in December of Phyllis Rock, the London-based head of human resources for Europe. Some banks, including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, already have international heads of HR with responsibility for all activities outside the US.
Merrill Lynch says the change is intended to align the HR department more closely with business strategy.
Woodroffe has a mixture of HR and business experience.
Before moving into his new role he was chief administrative officer for investment banking at Merrill Lynch for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Before that he worked in HR in Merrill's international private client group in Asia-Pacific.
