WHO WE ARE

Raymond Young OBE - Convenor
Raymond is a Consultant specialising in regeneration. He was previously Director of Research & Innovation Services at Scottish Homes (now Communities Scotland) and Director of the Housing Corporation in Scotland. He has been convenor of the Steering Group since March 2000.

Alastair Cameron
Alastair is Chief Executive of Scottish Churches Housing Action, which mobilises the churches in working towards a Scotland free of homelessness. He has been a member of the Steering Group since March 2000 and was previously a member of the Rural Forum Housing Service Committee. His background is in community development and homelessness activism, working in the past for Rochdale Council in Lancashire and Edinburgh Council for the Single Homeless. He sees community engagement as crucial in tackling Scotland’s problems of homelessness and inadequate housing.

Peter Pearson
Peter has been a Committee Member of RHS since 2001, and is currently Treasurer. He has 25 years experience in Social Housing and was previously the Director of Lorne Area HA and Wellhouse Housing Co-operative. Latterly he was Co-ordinator of Rural Stirling Housing Association, and he now serves on their Committee. He works as part-time Housing Consultant, and spends the rest of the time 'getting a life'.

Martin Pollhammer

Martin lives and works in rural Scotland, and has been a Board member since 2004. He is Housing Projects Director at Scottish Borders Housing Association and his background is in social housing, having worked for both Housing Associations and Local Authorities on both sides of the Border, and in both urban and rural areas.

Ritchie Johnson

Ritchie is an advisor to the Board and is Head of Strategy in the Housing and Social Work Service of Aberdeenshire Council. Key responsibilities include setting housing strategy, community care planning and Supporting People amongst a number of other activities. He has formerly worked for Scottish Homes and Gordon District Council and retains a keen interest in rural issues.
Ritchie is a Shetlander that went to Sussex University and is a Dundee United season ticket holder!

Madhu Satsangi

Dr Madhu Satsangi teaches and researches at Stirling University (having moved there this summer from his previous post at Heriot-Watt University). He was co-opted to the RHS Board in 2003. He is qualified in Environmental Science and Town and Regional Planning. Madhu has extensive experience of social and economic research, principally concerned with the operation of housing markets and housing finance and subsidy systems. Madhu has researched and published widely on these issues. He has recently led an evaluation of the Rural Home Ownership Grant scheme and an evaluation of Housing Association Grant on behalf of the Scottish Executive. Madhu also led work for the Scottish Executive and partners on land supply for affordable housing and rural landowners' involvement in affordable housing supply. He has also done work for the Countryside Agency (Diversity Review Baseline Study). Outwith academic experiences, Madhu worked for four years with Scottish Homes, where he developed and managed policy-oriented research. Madhu is also a committee member of Positive Action for Training in Housing (Scotland) and the Housing Studies Association. Contact: madhu.satsangi@stir.ac.uk

Sarah Jane Laing

Sarah Jane joined the Rural Housing Service Board in April 2005. Before being appointed as Housing Strategy Officer by the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association (SRPBA) in November 2004, Sarah-Jane gained over 10 years experience as a housing professional working in both local authority and housing association environments. She also has personal experience of rural house building.

Sue Manning

Sue joined the Rural Housing Service Board in December 2006

Clare Jones

Formerly Argyll Islands Development Worker for the Rural Housing Service (until the project ended in March 2007), Clare now works for West Highland Housing Association as their Tiree/Coll Development Officer. Clare is working closely with Tiree Trust to deliver a rented housing programme and promote housing options and advice on Tiree, building on work initiated by Rural Housing Service. She is also working with Development Coll to ensure their community's input to affordable housing development and will be assisting WHHA develop a wider action programme.

Staff:

Derek Logie - Director
Derek has been Project Manager, now Director, of the Rural Housing Service since 1996. He is responsible for the delivery of Rural Housing Service activities. He is responsible to the Rural Housing Service Management Committee for the development, delivery and ongoing management of Rural Housing Service activities. Derek has worked with communities across Scotland to tackle local housing problems and has supported the development of several practical projects to address housing need.

Amanda Harvey - Administrator (17 Hours per week)

Emma Binns - Aberdeenshire Rural Housing Enabler (Full time)

Kim Siu - Moray Rural Housing Enabler (Part time)