Dundee University chief finance officer quits after eight days

Dundee University is facing a £35m deficit

Dundee University's new chief finance officer has left the cash-strapped institution after eight days.

Chris Reilly only joined the university, which is trying to reduce staff numbers as it faces a £35m deficit, last Monday.

The university said Mr Reilly had left the role by mutual agreement and it was "moving quickly" to appoint his replacement.

It said his successor would take the university through "the next steps" of its recovery plan for submission to the Scottish Funding Council

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

The university said at the time it was a "vital appointment" and that he brought a wealth of experience across a number of sectors.

His predecessor Helen Simpson only served in the role for seven months.

Last month Dundee University's interim principal and two senior members of its governing body quit after a damning report into its financial collapse.

The independent report, led by Prof Pamela Gillies, said university bosses and its governing body failed multiple times to identify the worsening crisis and continued to overspend instead of taking action.

The same week the Scottish government announced the university will receive an extra £40m to help it out of the financial crisis.

The university is expected to cut 300 roles through a voluntary redundancy scheme.

Former senior members of staff at the university gave evidence to a Scottish Parliament committee over two days last week.

They included former principal Prof Iain Gillespie, who resigned from the university in December shortly after revealing the scale of its deficit.

Prof Gillespie told the parliament's education committee that he was not a coward for walking away but had failed in his role to "take responsibility" as accounting officer and principal.

He apologised to students and staff and said he would "reflect" on whether to return the £150,000 payoff that he received.

Asked if he was "incompetent or corrupt" Prof Gillespie replied: "I'm certainly not corrupt, so I'll have to choose incompetent."