Our People

Our Leadership Team are dedicated to delivering their key aims and continue to develop neighbourhoods with new homes and work with tenants to ensure we deliver the best possible service at all times, supporting our thriving community by delivering value for money.

Our Board

Lorraine Tait – Convener

Click here for bio

×

Lorraine Tait

Lorraine has a degree in Business & Enterprise, holds Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Fellowship of the Chartered Management Institute.

Lorraine has 22 years’ experience in housing associations, having worked with both Eildon Housing and Port of Leith Housing Associations across a range of posts in Finance, HR and Corporate Services from 1989 to 2011.

She is currently Trust Manager for a grant funding charity, The Weir Charitable Trust. Reporting to the Board of Trustees, Lorraine is responsible for all aspects of the Trust operations.

Lorraine was co-opted to the Board in February 2016.

Close

Scott Holmes – Vice Convener

Click here for bio

×

Scott Holmes

Scott is a partner in Johnston Carmichael’s Edinburgh office and leads their Financial Services Group. He has extensive experience in internal and external audit and advises a portfolio of owner managed businesses, including several group audits, and undertakes reporting assignments under both local and international financial reporting standards.

Scott has 20 years’ experience in financial services audit and assurance assignments and has significant experience of regulatory reporting in the Financial Services sector.

Scott has been acting as an adviser to our Finance Committee since November 2012, before joining the Board in March 2014. Scott was elected Vice Convener in September 2015.

Close

Tony Homer

Click here for bio

×

Tony Homer

Tony has over twenty years experience in local authority social work and the third sector that included senior operational management positions, becoming an independent health and social care consultant in 1997. His management experience includes leading a workforce of about 100 staff, managing over thirty frontline services dispersed across Scotland, preparing tender proposals, leading negotiations with statutory commissioners and working with sector partners to develop strategic responses to identified need.

He has been an Associate of the Joint Improvement Team (JIT), a cross sector strategic improvement partnership, since 2007 and has been a national lead on strategic commissioning for the past five years. Tony has served on a number of Boards of voluntary bodies including Linkliving and Seton Care, a subsidiary of Berwickshire Housing Association

Tony was co-opted to the Board in February 2016.

Close

Vivienne Cockburn

Click here for bio

×

Vivienne Cockburn

A Chartered Accountant with 25 years experience of advising on the financial and commercial aspects of public sector investment in a wide variety of sectors including energy efficiency (domestic and non-domestic), health, education and the utilities.

Vivienne is Director of Corporate Services and Low Carbon with Scottish Futures Trust – a NDPB with responsibility to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public sector infrastructure investment in Scotland. She is responsible for SFT’s corporate functions including finance, IT and office and the development of Low Carbon investment programmes across the public sector estate. She is a qualified chartered accountant who spent 16 years within the accountancy profession before becoming Finance Director of Caledonian Economics, a specialist economic and financial consultancy practice.

Vivienne has extensive experience of advising Boards and Project teams on the delivery of significant capital investment and whilst with PwC regularly advised audit committees on risk and internal controls.

Vivienne joined the board in February 2017.

Close

James Fullarton

Click here for bio

×

James Fullarton

Jim has been a Scottish Borders Council (SBC) member for East Berwickshire for the past 9 years.

He is currently portfolio holder for Transport and Infrastructure, this includes roads and winter maintenance as well as bridges and any building project. He is also on the SBC Planning Committee and local review bodies.

Jim has qualifications in agriculture and is a Self-employed farmer.

Jim has been on the Board since September 2003.

Close

Anne Isles

Click here for bio

×

Anne Isles

Anne worked as a lecturer in a Further Education College, Napier teaching law on HND , Degree and Post Degree Courses . These included Accountancy, Company Secretary and Journalism Degrees and Diplomas.

With expertise in property law and land acquisitions becoming legal adviser for the Planning Committee representing the Council at several public local inquiries and working on complex legal agreements.

In the last 10 years of her employment with the Council Anne was also the principal Legal Adviser for licensing.

Anne joined the Board in February 2017.

Close

Andrew Brough

Click here for bio

×

Andrew Brough

Andrew has a BSc (Hons) Rural Enterprise and Land Management, is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers.

He is presently the Estate Manager for Buccleuch Estate’s Bowhill Estate, near Selkirk consisting of approximately 250 houses and 45 farms as well as other Estate enterprises and is also the BHA Health and Safety Champion.

Andrew has been on the Board since December 2009.

Close

Jim McDevitt

Click here for bio

×

Jim McDevitt

Jim has been involved in Banking for over 20 years in the Commercial Finance sector focussing on clients who have been experiencing financial difficulties.

Jim has also dedicated over 20 years to being a Rotarian in Duns, Berwickshire raising almost £200,000 for many local and national causes and is actively involved with the local theatre group, Duns Opera assisting with musical events.

He joined the Board in October 2016.

Close

Clive Feeney

Click here for bio

×

Clive Feeney

Clive has been involved in building and construction within the public sector for over 20 years. An associate member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, for the last 8 years he has been advising Scottish public sector organisations on procurement and how to best utilise pre tendered frameworks.

He is the Director of the Scottish Procurement Alliance, a collaboration of Scottish RSL’s and Local Authorities who own and manage housing and other non-housing public sector buildings throughout Scotland. He was personally responsible for setting up a collaboration with the Lintel Trust, a Scottish third sector charity to develop community benefit initiatives. To date over £200,000 has be awarded and utilised to improve local communities.

Clive also sits on the board of LHC (formerly the London Housing Consortium).

Clive joined the Board in May 2018

Close

Paul Matthews

Click here for bio

×

Paul Matthews

My background is in civil engineering, street design and project management over the past 11 years. I have gained a breadth of experience in the public, private sector and third sectors covering the full project cycle from business case and design development to contracts, procurement and construction.

Over the past 8 years I have focussed mainly on walking, cycling and place making and I am interested in creating better places through co-design with local people. I believe our streets and neighbourhoods provide great opportunity for positive social impact – and we need to challenge and re-imagine how our streets should function, to create a more inclusive and sustainable environment for all.

Paul joined the Board in May 2018

Close

Sean Dickson

Click here for bio

×

Sean Dickson

Sean has a degree in Business and Enterprise and is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

He is currently Housing Services Manager at Melville Housing Association and has 11 years’ experience in Housing Associations, having worked previously for Scottish Borders Housing Association as a Housing Officer.

Sean also has experience in procurement and logistics which he gained whilst serving 12 years in the Royal Navy.

Sean joined the Board in May 2018.

Close

Lynn Gray

Click here for bio

×

Lynn Gray

Following a successful career in the hair and beauty sector for 24 years, Lynn continues to live in the local community. Having been a Berwickshire Housing Association Tenant for over 12 years she has a great deal of passion for the Association. Her interests continue within the community by supporting the Duns and District Operatic Society and the Duns Summer Festival Committee.

Lynn joined the Board in February 2018

Close

Graeme McLeod

Click here for bio

×

Graeme McLeod

Graeme has nearly 30 years’ experience working in service focused industries, 14 of which were with a UK airline, responsible for airport operations, customer service and significant change programmes.

Prior to this he was in retail for 15 years in a variety of roles both within store and their head office.

Close

Susie McCosh

Click here for bio

×

Susie McCosh

A Chartered Surveyor, with over 25 years’ experience in the property market, Susie’s early career focussed on the Corporate sector. Following stints in Corporate Real Estate teams in Scotland and then the City of London, Susie moved to work with RBS, in the property acquisition team. This role involved working across the UK, Europe and the Far East, prior to a transfer to the Hong Kong office as Head of Asset Management (AsiaPac).

Following completion of a Masters Degree in Chinese Studies, Susie started her own Consultancy in 2013 and since then has been working with a range of clients in the residential and educational sectors. Work with Heriot Watt University has included involvement with securing homes for the students of the University’s Malaysia Campus, as well as project management and lease restructuring work.

Close

For an informal chat about this opportunity please call 01361 884000 and ask for John Bain or download our information pack

How Berwickshire Housing Association is Governed

Berwickshire Housing Association is a registered society, registered social landlord and Scottish Charity. It reports annually to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) and the office of the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR).

The Association is managed on a daily basis by its Leadership and Management teams. The Associations’ strategic direction and high level monitoring of performance and financial controls is the responsibility of its Board. The Board is made of volunteer members drawn from a wide cross section of our community and is led by a Convener supported by two Vice-Conveners. The Board has primary responsibility for:

The Board has three Committees that meet regularly throughout the year and work on delegated authority from the Board. The Committees are made of Board members with a mixture of interest and skills who’s authority includes:

You can view and download our key policies and procedures below:

In the Community

Our Teapot on Tour attends events in the local communities within Berwickshire. It is a great opportunity to enjoy a cup of tea and a chat with BHA Staff.

If you would like the Teapot on Tour event to support your local community event then please Email us

2018-2023 Business Plan

Click here to download our 2018-2023 Business Plan