Dundee university’s vice principal has been appointed to head the NHS Tayside board, the health secretary has announced.

Professor Nic Beech is currently vice principal of the University of Dundee and previously led the University of St Andrews.

Professor Beech is also president of the British Academy of Management and has authored books on change management and human resources.

He faces an £11m deficit and the challenge of implementing a new model of clinical leadership begun under his predecessor.

Previous chair John Brown was brought in on an interim basis to stabilise the board after a turbulent few years.

When he stood down Mr Brown, also chair of NHS Glasgow & Clyde, admitted it had been a “very challenging time” for Tayside health services.

This included a row over the misallocation of finances, sustained criticism of mental health services in Dundee and a dispute over chemotherapy drug doses.

Chief executive Grant Archibald said: “Nic has a wealth of experience and NHS Tayside has benefited greatly since he became a non-executive member last year.

“He is already an active member of our Board and I look forward to working with him as NHS Tayside continues to transform its services for people across Tayside.

Mr Archibald also paid tribute to Lorna Birse-Stewart, who has been interim chair since July 2019 and will stay on the board as a non-executive member. 

He said: “She has visited many areas across Tayside to find out more about the day-to-day business of our organisation, listen to staff talk about their contributions to service delivery and redesign and, in doing so, she has strengthened the links between the Board and staff in their own workplaces.”