Dundee University's interim chief finance officer quits after just eight days in office

Dundee University’s chief finance officer has quit after just eight days in office,

On Wednesday afternoon, the troubled university said Chris Reilly, who only joined the university last Monday, had left the role by mutual agreement, and the institution was “moving quickly” to appoint his replacement.

The departure means the university will now be looking for its fourth finance officer in less than a year.

Dundee University said Reilly’s successor would take the university through “the next steps” of its recovery plan, which will be submitted to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

Reilly’s appointment was announced in May for what was initially thought to be an 18-month period.

The latest announcement comes as Dundee University, which is trying to reduce staff numbers, continues to grapple with a serious financial crisis.

Earlier this year, it announced that hundreds of jobs could be lost due to a £35m blackhole.

A scathing investigation report published in recent weeks was commissioned by the SFC to get to the bottom of the university’s financial difficulties.

Led by Professor Pamela Gillies, the review found serious concerns over governance and transparency at the highest levels of the university.

It found senior leaders at Dundee University breached ethics rules, ignored financial red flags, and operated in “isolation of facts”.

The review specifically named former principal of Dundee University, professor Iain Gillespie, former deputy and current interim principal, Professor Shane O’Neill, and former chief operating officer Jim McGeorge for the financial failures at Dundee University.

Gillespie stepped down from his post at the university in December.

Following the Gillies report, Dundee University’s interim principal and two senior members of its governing body quit as well.