NHS Fife has appointed a new man at the helm.
Paul Hawkins, who has been working with a Welsh health board, will take up the role as chief executive at the board following the retiral of interim chief executive Dr Brian Montgomery.
Dr Montgomery has been acting as chief executive since the departure of John Wilson last year.
Mr Hawkins is chief operating officer at Hywel Dda University Health Board in Wales where he directs an integrated health system made up of four district general hospitals, general maternity services, mental health and community services across three counties with a population of 400,000.
Before that he worked as director of operations for planned care for Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, a major London trust providing acute services for a population of more than 500,000 people.
Mr Hawkins, who has an MBA from Ashridge Business School, has a number of areas of particular interest, including patient safety, the patient environment and integrated rural health services.
NHS Fife chairman Allan Burns said: “I am delighted to welcome Paul as the new chief executive of NHS Fife.
“Paul has worked across a variety of areas and brings a great deal of experience to the post. I look forward to working closely with him to ensure that Fife has the best possible services for its population.”
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “I congratulate Paul on his appointment and welcome him to his new role.
“I am sure he will rise to the challenge of ensuring NHS Fife continues to provide the highest standard of care to people across Fife.”
Mr Hawkins said he looked forward to working with staff and partners to further improve health and social care services.