UTV Media has appointed Stephen Kirkpatrick as a non-executive director.

The appointment takes effect immediately. He will also take over the role of chairman of the audit committee from Helen Kirkpatrick, who moves to the chair of the remuneration committee

Mr Kirkpatrick (48), who is currently chief executive of UK firm Corbo Properties, previously worked as a qualified chartered accountant with KPMG and specialised in corporate finance. He also spent 15 years with Bank of Ireland in a variety of senior roles, including chief executive in Northern Ireland and head of retail credit for Bank of Ireland in the UK and Ireland.

Mr Kirkpatrick is also a non-executive director of Mutual Energy, and a member of the governing council of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

UTV has seen considerable changes to its board in recent month. In July, the company appointed Richard Huntingford as chairman, following the ousting of John McGuckian in February.

A boardroom row led to a majority of board members voting to remove Mr McGuckian as chairman, after 20 years in the role. He immediately resigned as a director, as did TVC’s executive chairman Shane Reihill and fellow director Kevin Lagan.