Ms Stoddart has held various senior management positions with high-profile companies including Air New Zealand and Carter Holt Harvey.
She is also an independent director of The Warehouse Group Ltd, Paymark Ltd and the New Zealand Refining Company.
There was considerable interest in the vacancy, caused by the retirement of Owen Poole last year and an attempt was made to get Fonterra director John Monaghan on to the board.
A non-binding shareholders' resolution to have Mr Monaghan appointed was passed at the company's annual meeting.
Alliance Group chairman Murray Taggart later said he had withdrawn from the independent director appointment process while Mr Monaghan maintained he had not.
The board had also been approached about increasing the number of independent directors from three to four.
While there was provision in the company's constitution to do so, it decided the current mix of six elected and three appointed directors was appropriate.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Taggart said Ms Stoddart had ''outstanding credentials'', with a diverse commercial background and strength in the development and implementation of corporate strategies.
Dunedin-born and bred, Ms Stoddart has both commerce and law degrees.
Her 25 years' experience in the legal, manufacturing, packaging, aviation and engineering sectors include positions as chief executive of Carter Holt Harvey's Australian packaging business and as a senior solicitor at Russell McVeagh.
Until last year, she was group general manager, people and technical operations, at Air New Zealand.
Ms Stoddart felt ''privileged and excited'' about the opportunity to join Alliance Group.
''As a passionate New Zealander, I'm keen to work with brands, companies and industries at the heart of New Zealand's economy.
''I have been fortunate to work with great leaders throughout my career and I am looking forward to using what I have learnt to benefit the board and Alliance Group strategically and operationally,'' she said.
Ms Stoddart, whose father was employed in the meat industry for some years, joins fellow independent directors Graeme Milne (Cambridge) and John Waller (Auckland) and six supplier directors.
