WEIR Group is beefing up its board with the appointment of a woman who has worked at high levels in the public and corporate sectors on both sides of the Atlantic as a non-executive director.

The Glasgow-based engineering group said Mary Jo Jacobi would join its board on January 1 2014 after holding senior executive positions at companies including Royal Dutch Shell, Lehman Brothers and HSBC Holdings.

A former Assistant US Secretary of Commerce, Ms Jacobi was appointed by David Cameron to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments in June 2012.

Asked about a report that Weir Group could be a target for US conglomerate General Electric, a spokesman declined to comment.