A NEW chairman is set to take the helm of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Alan Richardson will succeed Brian Flood when he steps down at the end of March after leading the organisation for the past 17 years.

A chartered engineer by background, Mr Richardson has a wealth of experience running large organisations and has served on several boards, most notably Scottish Power Plc, Reyrolle Ltd and the Glasgow Development Agency. For the past six years, he has also been chairman of Coventry University.