US software company Mercury Interactive has appointed Citrix Systems legal head Heike Wesche as its new European general counsel after a search lasting more than a year.

Wesche joined the company last month replacing Christine Chase, who stood down as European legal head in 2005 after four years in the role.

Wesche spent seven years as general counsel of enterprise software company Citrix, which is based in Switzerland, where she led an eight-lawyer team. She has now relocated to Mercury's European HQ in Camberley.

The appointment marks Mercury's third senior lawyer hire in less than six months, following the hire of Silicon Graphics legal head Sandra Escher as global general counsel and the appointment of Stanley Keller, a corporate and securities partner at Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, to its board of directors in February.

Last year, Mercury was forced to de-list from the Nasdaq stock exchange after the discovery of incorrectly dated executive stock options.