CIH Scotland welcomes three new board members

Three new members will be appointed to the CIH Scotland Board as John Kerr, Margaret Moore and current Chair Esther Wilson are due to step down at the CIH AGM on 3 December having all served the maximum two terms.

John, housing development and homelessness manager at West Dunbartonshire Council and co-chair of the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO), joined the CIH Scotland Board in 2014 bringing a wealth of experience in local authority housing and homelessness policy.

Margaret is a housing consultant specialising in supporting independent living and has served on the Board since 2015. She has been instrumental in supporting the development of work around housing and dementia and as lead author of the Housing and Dementia Framework launched in 2019.

Esther joined the board in 2015 and has served as chair of the Scotland Board since 2018, helping to lead the organisation through a period of restructuring and the introduction of new member benefits including a new website and mentoring platform, the Professional Standards toolkit and free and exclusive access to events for CIH members.

New board members Matthew Busher, Alice Simpson and Duncan Smith have been appointed and will formally take up their new roles from 3 December.

Matthew is the housing director at Kingdom Housing Association and joined the organisation in 2016. He is a Chartered Member of CIH and has worked in housing since 2003.

Speaking of his appointment to the Board, Matthew said:

“ I am delighted to be joining the CIH board at this time and look forward to contributing to the excellent work that CIH Scotland does in supporting and promoting the housing sector and housing professionals”

Alice is director of assets and governance at Homes for Good, Scotland’s first social enterprise letting agency. She has over a decade's experience working in housing and has played a key role in the expansion of the Homes for Good Business Group across the West of Scotland.

Alice said:

"I am honoured to have this opportunity to play a meaningful role in CIH Scotland, particularly in how the influence of the organisation can be expanded further in the private rented sector."

Duncan Smith specialises in energy efficiency and retrofit strategy. He is a Chartered Member of CIH and has over 30 years experience of in housebuilding and retrofit within the social and private sectors.

Duncan said:

“I am delighted to be joining the CIH Scotland Board at a point in time that is pivotal in terms of how housing and the built environment have such a role to play in tackling climate change. I hope to be able to contribute to the discussion on how we ensure our homes are sustainable now and for future generations.”

Callum Chomczuk, national director of CIH Scotland added:

“I am so pleased to have Matthew, Alice and Duncan join the board. Each of them brings a specialism and a huge amount of insight and expertise to CIH Scotland. I am really looking forward to working with them. At the same time, I want to thank Esther, John and Margaret for the massive contribution they have made during their time on the board. They have been with CIH Scotland longer than me and their support and advice has been incredibly helpful in driving CIH to improve our offer to our members and the sector at large.”