The 48-year-old former Glasgow Rangers manager succeeds Steve Bruce as manager at St Andrew's where he has signed a three-and-a-half year contract. "But it rekindled my passion of being able to work with players every day. "I have always harboured a desire to manage in the Premier League and I am really excited about the challenge.
"I absolutely loved my time as coach of the national team," he said at a press conference on Wednesday morning.
"The terms of my contract are private, but I have been satisfied in my chats with the people here that we can move forward."
Former Villa coach Roy Aitken and Andy Watson, McLeish's assistant coaches with Scotland, will form part of the backroom staff at St Andrew's.