Board & Executive Team

After a long career in housing of almost 35 years in Glasgow and the Western Isles I retired in July 2016.  My housing experience includes 12 years as Director of Housing at Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) responsible for housing strategy both for the public and private sectors, housing management, investment, new build, homelessness and Housing Benefit administration.

From 2005 until 2016 I was Chief Executive of the Hebridean Housing Partnership, a whole stock transfer from the local authority providing good quality housing for affordable rent and shared equity home ownership.

It has been my privilege to have worked in what is a vitally important service; the provision of good quality affordable housing for people in housing need.  I am therefore delighted to have joined the Board of Cairn and commit myself to use my housing experience to contribute to the important work of my Board member colleagues and Association staff in delivering Cairn’s vision of great homes, great service and great people.

Since a part time job at an Estate Agents and Chartered Surveyors office and more recently becoming a homeowner, a tenant and a landlord, I’ve always been interested in property and housing.

I have a Business Studies degree where I specialised in management accounting. My career has spanned a number of project management, governance and operational roles within the defence industry, public sector and financial services. Several of these roles have involved delivering  business transformation programmes and like Cairn, all of the organisations have customer service and people at the heart of their values.

I am delighted to be joining the Cairn Board at what I think will be a really interesting and exciting time for the organisation and hope that my skills and experience will complement those of the Senior Management Team and my Board colleagues.

I am a Project Manager in a construction consultancy organisation working with clients on projects in a diverse range of industry sectors throughout the UK.

Alongside my experience managing construction projects in residential, healthcare, leisure and commercial sectors, I am also a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and have also completed an MSc in Construction Management at Heriot-Watt University.

I have good knowledge, understanding and hands on experience of residential development, including an understanding of design guides, public procurement guidance, construction contracts. Having been introduced to the affordable housing sector through previous employment with a residential developer, I have an interest in Scottish Government housing policy and the Regulatory environment in which housing associations operate, and the increasingly important role which Housing Associations will fulfil.

Working alongside public sector organisations in developing their projects and have therefore developed a good understanding of the governance, gateway process, reporting requirements and the importance of proactive engagement with a broad range of stakeholders including customers, staff, lenders, local authorities, Scottish Government and suppliers.

Applying my skills and experience working with both public and private sector organisations in the property and construction industry will enable me to make a positive and valuable contribution to Cairn Housing Association and I look forward to working with my colleagues at Cairn to continue to deliver great homes and great services.

Having worked right across the UK, including six years in London, I have been a part of the executive search industry since 1994. Born in rural Galloway, where my home remains, my earlier commercial career brought 18 years in Agribusiness, working with some of the leading names of Agrichemicals, Pharmaceuticals and Animal Nutrition, and now provides executives search for clients within this sector. Since helping to found Aspen People in 2012, I have developed a specialist niche in Housing, where Aspen has earned a respected market-leading position.

Other than my role on the Cairn Board, I am also asked to provide insight on succession planning and attracting talent to the sector by the SFHA where I am a highly active Associate Member. In addition, I am a mentor with RBS Entrepreneurs and also with Adopt an Intern – which helps develop and grow the next generation of business leaders.

With over 10 years of experience across the FE Education, Policing and Local Government sectors building partnerships, strengthening processes and promoting technology to improve the services offered to service users. I am educated in Admin & IT, Web Development, and currently studying towards my BA (Hons) Software Development.

As part of my role with the Cairn Board, I am looking forward to providing my skills and experience in providing strategic direction in overcoming some of the UK’s current social and economic challenges. While serving on the board, I am dedicated to realising Cairn’s vision of providing excellent housing and services for its tenants.

Having worked in a variety of sectors over my career, I have significant experience of the challenges faced by Registered Social Landlords, spending 14 years in finance roles within Housing Associations.

I am a qualified Chartered Accountant and Director of Finance and Business Services with Scottish Autism.  Although my career has focussed on all areas of finance, in more recent years, this has extended to leading on IT Strategy, forming part of a project team delivering a successful Transfer of Engagement and the development of commercial subsidiaries.

The knowledge I have gained over the years will allow me to support Cairn with the challenges and opportunities that are faced both now and in the future.  In doing so, this will help enable Cairn to continue to provide quality homes and services to its tenants.

I grew up in the Highlands, where my family is still based, but I now live in Edinburgh. For some 20 years I worked as a solicitor dealing with large landed estates and third sector organisations, most with substantial housing portfolios. I recently graduated from Edinburgh University again and I now work as an Assistant Minister within the Church of Scotland.

As well as Cairn, I sit on the board of Castle Community Bank, a nationwide credit union based in Leith, which seeks to help the financially disadvantaged, and a couple of other local Edinburgh charities. I am looking forward to bringing my legal, credit union and charities experience with me to Cairn’s board and hope to serve our tenants and stakeholders well during my tenure.

After a 35-year career in public transport where I worked in national and international companies at senior management and board level I am looking forward to bringing some of those skills and my experience to the team at Cairn Housing Association. Whilst having trained in operations management and marketing, the general management positions I held broadened my knowledge and experience to include finance, contract management, asset management and human resources.

I have always focused on service delivery and adding value to the customer’s experience. Through clear leadership and through the development of good systems, good staff training and the correct values, an organisation will have an edge in giving customer satisfaction. I am looking forward to helping Cairn achieve its vision of creating Great Homes, Great Services and Great People.

Coming Soon

With over 25 years of experience working in the legal profession, I have significant experience of working across many highly regulated areas, including professionally regulated bodies, charities and across the commercial sector. I am passionate about mentoring, diversity, inclusion and socio-economic mobility.

Of the varied roles I have held in my career to date, I am confident that joining the Cairn Board will be one of my most rewarding and interesting ones. At its heart, Cairn is about people, progressive change and breaking down barriers. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with colleagues who share those values and strive together to make a positive difference to real people’s lives. The Board has a fantastic range of experience and expertise which blends with a highly skilled Senior Management Team to lead Cairn towards continued improvement. It is a privilege to add my own legal and regulatory insight to the mix by joining this Board at an exciting time.

Audrey brings over 30 years of experience and dedication to social justice to her role as CEO. Her passion for tackling poverty and inequality through social housing remains as strong today as it was at the beginning of her career.

A champion for progressive change, Audrey thrives on challenging the status quo and fostering a culture of collaboration. She is a firm believer in empowering tenants and customers, ensuring their voices are heard and influence decision-making across the entire organisation.

Audrey’s leadership has demonstrably made a positive impact. During her five years as CEO of Ardenglen Housing Association, she led a significant cultural and structural transformation that earned them the prestigious title of “Housing Association of the Year” in 2020 at the Scottish Home Awards. Prior to Ardenglen, Audrey held various senior positions at Queens Cross Housing Association and initiated and led a new framework with a focus on communities during her time as Director of Scotland with Home Group, overseeing services to 5,000 customers across six local authorities.

Audrey’s extensive experience, unwavering commitment, and dedication to resident empowerment make her a valuable asset in leading our company forward.

A Chartered Accountant, Ken began his career as an auditor which included assignments at many Scottish RSLs covering external audit, internal audit and due diligence exercises. He then moved to the other side of the fence as a Finance Director and has worked in such roles since, mainly in the RSL sector sandwiched by an 8-year spell at The Law Society of Scotland. Ken is also a Board member of the RSL Atrium Homes, chairing its subsidiary company Atrium Initiatives Ltd, as well as being a member of the Finance Committee of the medical charity GALVMED and Chair of the SHAPS Employer Committee.

Meg coordinates all aspects of property and investment in Cairn’s housing stock, with an emphasis on planned maintenance and responsive repairs. Before taking on the Director role, she led for 18 months on Cairn’s strategic asset management projects, including the evaluation of asset performance and modernisation of Cairn’s sheltered housing. Meg has worked in the housing sector for the past 15 years, is a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and holds a BSc in Architecture, an MSc in City Design and Social Science, and a PG Diploma in Housing. Prior to joining Cairn in 2018, she worked as a consultant advising a range of housing associations, local authorities and community organisations in Scotland and England on asset management, community engagement and regeneration projects.

Chris is the Director of Customer Services and joined Cairn in June 2024. His role involves leading on tenancy, income and older peoples housing services, all essential activities for the delivery of a great customer experience. Chris has worked in senior roles in social housing for over 25 years covering a broad range of strategic and operational activities in housing, care, telecare information technology, communications, and repairs. Chris worked as Director of Customer Service at Hanover (Scotland) one of Scotland’s largest specialist housing associations for ten years before joining Cairn. Chris’s career and qualifications, he obtained an MBA in 2013, has provided him with a rich understanding of the sector. He is committed to improving the lives of customers through the services Cairn provides and is dedicated to contributing to the success and growth of the housing sector in Scotland.

Jo is a seasoned organisational development specialist and change leader with over 20 years’ experience. She has worked across diverse sectors, including the Scottish and UK Governments, the NHS and national charities, bringing insight, empathy and constructive challenge to complex environments.

Recognised as a trusted people expert, she excels at unlocking potential, leveraging strengths and driving performance through purposeful cultural and leadership transformation.

Combining strategic vision with a deep understanding of human dynamics, Jo supports Cairn and its people to navigate complexity, deliver sustainable change and embed values-driven leadership.

Passionate about addressing inequalities, Jo champions joined-up thinking to remove barriers and create the conditions for tenants to be empowered.

Jo holds a Master’s degree in Business and Management and is a qualified practitioner in mediation, executive coaching, neuro-linguistic programming, psychometric testing, board performance reviews and executive search.