Grampian Housing Association has appointed three new board members at our recent annual general meeting.

Freya Lees, Charlotte Torrance and Nikola Will were elected along with Dave Thomson, who had filled a casual vacancy during the year.

Feya is a housing consultant and former chair of Kingdom Housing Association; Charlotte is a local solicitor at Anderson Bain; Nikola works with the Citizens Advice Bureau and brings a tenant perspective from Aberdeenshire Council.  Along Dave, Housing Manager at Aberdeenshire Council the new Board Members bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Dr Abhi Agarwal, who was re-elected Chairman said of the new Board Members:

“I welcome all new members to the board. Their diverse skill set strengthens the board’s governance and strategic remit in the areas of housing, law, asset management, policy and strategy.”

Commenting on his re-election, Abhi said:

“It has been another demanding yet rewarding year as chairman. Grampian is very much committed to doing what is right, to being the best it can be and to continue to deliver much needed housing and services to the communities we serve.

“Our charitable purpose to deliver affordable housing and excellent customer focussed services has never been more important. I really appreciate the staff teams who have performed exceptionally well to help and support our tenants and customers in the post pandemic world where we face the challenges of the cost of living and energy crises.”

Dr Agarwal is an associate professor in strategy with Edinburgh Napier University Business School. Previously he was an MBA course leader at Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University where he continues in a visiting academic role. He is also a member of the Quality and Performance Committee of Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) Board.

Jim Cargill has also been re-elected as vice-chair. He is a provider of AI-based marine logistics optimisation software and a director of Calibre International Ltd, a business consultancy.