International recruiter Hudson Highland Group has removed Jon Chait as chairman and chief executive of the company, effective immediately.

In December, Chait had agreed to retire at the company’s annual meeting of shareholders in April. However, in February, Chait informed the board of directors of his desire to remain as chairman and CEO indefinitely and asked that all efforts to identify a successor be cancelled immediately.

The board has now appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer Mary Jane Raymond as interim CEO, while director Richard J Stolz has been elected chairman of the board.

The firm adds: “We are disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement on the terms of Mr Chait’s retirement. His recent communications with the board have caused us to lose confidence in his judgment, and we believe it is in the best interests of shareholders to remove him as chairman and CEO at this time. The board has made significant progress on the search for Mr Chait’s successor, and we are confident in Ms Raymond and the rest of our senior operational team to lead the company during this interim period.”