
Interim finance chief at cash-strapped university quits after days in post
Chris Reilly, who took on the role on an interim basis days at the start of last week, has left the university by 'mutual agreement'.
Dundee University is grappling with a financial crisis which has resulted in the Scottish Government using special powers to award a further £40 million to the institution.
Faced with a £35 million deficit, the university is looking to cut hundreds of jobs.
Professor Nigel Seaton, Dundee's interim principal and vice chancellor, confirmed Mr Reilly's departure in a message to staff – saying the institution is 'moving quickly' to replace him.
Prof Seaton, who himself only took on the role after the previous interim principal quit last month, said Mr Reilly's replacement would help take the university through the 'next steps' of its recovery plan.
Previous interim principal Professor Shane O'Neill quit the post in June after a report by former Glasgow Caledonian University principal Professor Pamela Gillies was critical of him and other former senior Dundee University figures for their actions before the scale of the crisis became public.
That report found members of the university executive group, which included the 'triumvirate' of Prof O'Neill, former principal Professor Iain Gillespie and ex-chief operating officer Jim McGeorge, had 'failed' to 'properly respond to the worsening situation' with the institution's finances in 2024.
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