Home Building Society Ltd chairman Tony Howarth has been appointed to the board of Wesfarmers Ltd. Mr Howarth was chairman of Alinta Ltd until June last year. He is also a former chief executive of Hartleys Ltd and was previously managing director of Challenge Bank. He is currently chairman of Mermaid Marine Australia Ltd and not-for-profit organisation Committee for Perth, a non-executive director of AWB Ltd and a director of the Western Australian Community Foundation Ltd. Wesfarmers chairman Trevor Eastwood said Mr Howarth’s appointment would strengthen the level of commercial expertise on the company’s board, which now has 11 directors.