Prof George is currently professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Dundee Medical School and consultant physician and clinical lead for the Cardiovascular Risk service in NHS Tayside. He is qualified in clinical pharmacology and general internal medicine and is an accredited European hypertension specialist.

He has extensive UK and international experience and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh, European Society of Cardiology and the British Hypertension Society, as well as visiting Professor at the Dnipro State Medical University, Ukraine.

In addition, Prof George also chairs the Scottish Government Access to New Medicines, Horizon Scanning Advisory Board and is national clinical lead for the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

He is a member of the Delivery Group and Management Board for the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, the current co-chair on the NIHR Capital Investment Funding Committee and has been senior health technology advisor to NICE.

MHRA chair, Professor Anthony Harnden, said: ‘Professor George brings a wealth of experience in clinical practice and academia, which will be invaluable in taking forward our work to protect and promote public health, ensuring people have confidence in their medicines and healthcare products.'

Lawrence Tallon, MHRA chief executive, said: ‘I know that Professor George will be a prominent voice for the MHRA, championing effective regulation, patient safety, and the UK's position as a global life sciences powerhouse. His responsibilities will include leading our Science Campus, and our science and innovation strategies.'

Prof Jacob George said: ‘I'm looking forward to working with colleagues to make a major contribution to high quality patient care and life sciences innovation.'

Scottish health secretary, Neil Gray, said: ‘Professor George has made an exceptional contribution to cardiovascular medicine in Scotland through combining academic excellence with frontline clinical leadership to improve outcomes for patients. He brings a wealth of experience to the role and I wish him every success.'