IAN Dalton, a former director of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust, has been appointed as chief executive of the two-site trust.
Mr Dalton is expected to take up his new duties in October.
He will move from his current position as chief executive of the Warrington-based North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust in the North-West of England.
Mr Dalton, who replaces one of the longest-running hospital chief executives in the North-East, Joan Rogers, was a director at the North Tees and Hartlepool trust between 1997 and 2000.
A spokesman for the North Tees and Hartlepool trust said: "Ian has an exceptional track record of successful achievement and leadership in healthcare at local, national and international levels."
The new chief executive will have the job of putting into practice the controversial plan drawn up by leading independent health expert Professor Ara Darzi.
Prof Darzi recently recommended a radical pooling of clinical services between North Tees, Hartlepool and the James Cook University Hospital to ensure the viability of hospitals north of the Tees.
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