Former Health Department official Dr Leung Pak-yin is in line to succeed Shane Solomon as chief executive of the Hospital Authority.
Leung, the authority's director of quality and safety, faces the dual challenge of reversing a brain drain of health care staff and cutting waiting times for medical services in his three-year term.
The selection panel chose him after a tight race with the only other candidate, authority cluster services director Dr Cheung Wai-lun.
Leung's appointment is expected to be made formal early next month pending approval by the authority's board and Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, according to people familiar with the situation.
The post at the head of 58,000 medical professionals and other staff comes with a salary package of more than HK$4 million a year.
A public health specialist, Leung, 51, is a former deputy director of health and was the founding controller of the Centre for Health Protection, set up after the Sars crisis. He was once tipped to succeed Dr Lam Ping-yan as director of health.