Haithwaite resigned from his Argos role at the beginning of the year, and takes up his new position today (1 April).

Media Square is a marketing communications and services business, and is listed on AIM. The 20m turnover group's retail marketing division includes Hudson Marketing, Preprint Imaging, and catalogue design and production specialists Fourninety, all based in Leeds; digital photography studio APR in Macclesfield; and ad agency Equanim in Manchester. At Argos Haithwaite was a client of the company.

Haithwaite's chief executive role is a newly created position at the firm, which has ambitious expansion plans. "This is a new group and they needed someone to head it up and give it some focus and large organisation disciplines. It's a great business and very exciting I've long searched for a company that offers an end-to-end solution, where you can say 'here's the brand brief, now do the whole thing'."

Media Square chairman Kevin Steeds praised Haithwaite's "in-depth knowledge and experience of leading large teams and managing significant budgets".

Story by Jo Francis