Business news in brief: Abbot Group OIL tycoon Alasdair Locke, who founded Aberdeen-based rig operator Abbot Group, is to become chairman of a fuel cell technology firm next month. Aim-quoted Ceramic Fuel Cells develops generators that convert natural gas into electricity and heat. It said Locke, who has a stake of around 4.9 per cent in the firm, will replace current chairman Jeff Harding at its annual meeting. Locke, a former investment banker, founded Abbot in 1992 and made more than £100 million when the London-listed oil services company was sold to US private equity firm First Reserve for £906m in 2008. Transport move for Standard's Hunt Jackie Hunt, the finance director of life and pensions group Standard Life, has joined National Express as a non-executive director. Hunt, who also chairs the Association of British Insurers" financial regulation and taxation committee, will sit on the transport group's audit and safety and environment committees. She became finance director at Edinburgh-based Standard Life in May 2010. Kerr takes Masters" Alliance Trust role Alastair Kerr, a director at brewing company Fuller, Smith & Turner, is to join Dundee-based investment group Alliance Trust as a non-executive director. Kerr, who also sits on the board of Dalgety Bay-based shopfitter Havelock Europa and is a former managing director of Kwik-Fit, will chair the remuneration committee and will succeed Chris Masters as the senior independent director when he retires at the year end. Parcel firm delivers hat-trick of deals AJG Parcels, the Inverness-based delivery firm, yesterday unveiled a hat-trick of contracts worth more than £500,000 a year, including taking over UPS's service in Argyll. The company, which employs 120 staff, has sealed a deal to deliver drinks from John O" Groats to Campbeltown sold by Forth Wines.