Current Link Group Board Members
Link Group Board members operate in a voluntary capacity. They are elected at Link's Annual General Meeting (AGM). Board meetings normally take place once a month.
Robbie Robertson (Chair)
Robbie began his career in the insurance industry, which led him from Scotland to the South of England. While in England he moved into publishing and returned to Scotland to open a Glasgow office for the company with which he worked. A further change in career to banking followed and led ultimately to a position as Regional Director for the South of Scotland for Abbey National.
Robbie has had a long association with Link Group having first been a Board member in the early 1980s. Work commitments precluded active involvement for a time but, given his particular interest in housing and Link, Robbie rejoined the Board on his retirement. In 2007, Robbie was made Chair of the Link Group Board. He is also a member of the Auidt and Risk Committee.
Robbie brings to the Board his financial experience and considerable knowledge of the Scottish housing market. He also has significant experience in HR matters, which was developed from having direct responsibility for large numbers of personnel in his past career.
Peter Foreman (Vice Chair)
With a background as a lawyer, Peter has been involved with heavy engineering and construction for much of his career. He was a director of the oil and gas engineering and construction divisions of Trafalgar House, and later Kvaerner. He formed his own legal and commercial consultancy company in 1999, which has offices in East Lothian and Fife. His present job involves extensive travel, much of it to the Middle East.
Peter joined the Board in 2001 and sits on the Audit and Risk Committee.
Peter's background in business, with a particular focus on construction, is a valuable asset to Link as a developer and provider of social housing.
Eddie Banks
Until his retirement at the end of 2008, Eddie spent more than 40 years working in the financial services sector, primarily in senior management with several UK banks, in the field of mortgages. He is a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland.
Eddie joined the LinkLiving Board in 2004 and the Link Group Board in 2008. He is currently Chair/Convenor of the Link Group Audit and Risk committee.
He brings to the Boards and committees vast operational management experience covering areas such as planning, budgeting controls and operational risk.
Frank Colston
Frank qualified as an architect in 1958 and spent most of his working life in the public housing field, in both private practice and in local authorities in Hull and Nottingham.
He moved to Scotland in 1968 to join the Scottish Special Housing Association (SSHA). After the closure of SSHA, he joined Ark Housing Association as a Property/Development officer. He retired in 2000.
While still at the SSHA, Frank became a founding committee member of the East Lothian Housing Association, Chairing its Property sub-committee. In 1988 he joined the Link Homes Board. Frank served on Linkwide's Board and in 2008 was elected to the Link Group Board. He also attends the Audit and Risk committee.
Douglas Esslemont
Douglas is a chartered electrical engineer by profession with a degree from Heriot Watt University. Most of this working life has been in the public sector and he worked Scottish Power and the former Lothian Regional Council and Cumbernauld Development Corporation.
Before taking early retirement in 2008, Douglas spent the twenty years as part of the Housing Service of the City of Edinburgh Council, where he was Head of Service responsible for Building Design Services and Edinburgh Building Services.
John Hinton
John has a background in housing, and community work and, since 1995, has worked in a variety of settings with homeless people.
Originally a Housing Officer with Leeds City Council, John moved to Scotland to undertake a postgraduate diploma in Housing. He then joined Wester Hailes Rep Council, a community-led organisation in Edinburgh, where he worked with tenants' groups, supporting a range of locally-led housing initiatives. He later joined the Big Issue in Scotland, where he set up and managed a housing resettlement service as well as a number of other support services.
In 1997, John set up Move On, a provider of a range of services for homeless people. He is currently Move On's Executive Director.
John has been involved with Link since 2002 when he joined the former board of Linkwide. He went on to become Chairperson until the re-structuring of the organisation in 2005. John joined the Board of Link Group in 2003 and in 2006 became the Chair of LinkLiving. Due to work commitments John stood down as Chair in 2009 but remains a Board member of both LinkLiving and Link Group.
John brings a wide variety of experience and expertise to Link including housing management, delivery of social care services, financial and budgeting skills, new service development, fundraising and knowledge of the voluntary sector in Scotland.
Christopher Macneill
Christopher Macneill has been a Link tenant since 1981 and a Board member of Link Housing Association since 1995.
Christopher currently sits on the Boards of Link Group and Link Housing and is a member of the Audit and Risk committee.
After a 10-year career as a self-taught artist, he gained a degree in Electronic and Computer Engineering from Napier University.
He lives in Edinburgh and works as a cleaner with the City of Edinburgh Council.
Christopher brings a wide understanding of issues affecting tenants and what it is to be a tenant of a large Registered Social Landlord. He also brings to the board a knowledge of building materials and IT and an analytical mind.
Jim O'Neill
Jim, a tenant Board member, is a native of Kirkshaws in Coatbridge. He is a motor mechanic by trade, having spent much of his working life with Monklands District council, which latterly became North Lanarkshire Council. Jim played an important role in the GMB union during his working life, initially holding a post as Branch Secretary before becoming Shop Steward - a position he held for many years before he retired in 1998 after being diagnosed with MS.
Jim was originally a tenant of Gap Housing Association, becoming a Link tenant when Gap merged with Link in 2000. He has been passionately involved in tenant activities for many years, having played a key role in the development of the Kirkshaws' Tenant's Association and its evolution into the Coatbridge Tenants' and Residents' Federation.
He initially became a member of Link Housing's Board of Management in 2001. While retaining his Link Housing position he joined the Link Group Board in 2004.
Jim brings to the Board persistence, an open mind, a keen understanding of the housing sector and a committment to ensuring that any decisions made at a higher level reach the 'ground floor'.
Bruce Reidford
Bruce has spent the majority of his working life to date in the food sector but has also occupied a number of voluntary positions, including board membership with Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire College and membership of the Children's Panel and the Scottish Food and Drink Federation.
Bruce has a teaching degree and for a number of years lectured in monetary economics and financial management. He also has a Masters degree, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds membership of the Institute of Directors and the Trades House of Glasgow (incorporation of Bakers).
Bruce joined the Board in 2008 and sits on the Audit and Risk committee.
In addition to having more than 35 years of experience of the voluntary sector, Bruce's particular areas of expertise lie in financial management/planning, industrial relations and strategy development.
Roy Stirrat
Roy began his career in 1975 as a professionally qualified town planner, working with local authorities and private practices before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
He went on to set up a property search data business then spent time working with the Public Services Ombudsman before, in 2004, returning to self-employment with a town planning consultancy based in Aviemore.
Throughout his career, Roy has been involved with housing, economic renewal, environmental improvement and many other development proposals. He has also been personally involved with a wide range of voluntary work, including Rotary in Edinburgh since 1994.
In 2006, Roy joined the former boards of Link Homes and Linkwide, becoming Chair in 2008. He joined the Link Group Board in 2009.
Roy brings to Link considerable experience of development projects as well as business and organisational management experience.
Angela Currie
Angela has spent over 20 years working in the housing sector. She began her career as a Housing Officer at East Lothian Council in 1990 and went on to hold a number of posts including Principle Service Development Manager.
Angela then moved to East Ayrshire Council in 2000, working on the development of the homelessness strategy, the Community Care Plan and tenant involvement.
For the past nine years, Angela has been with Scottish Housing Best Value Network (SHBVN) and in 2010, she was made Director. The SHBVN is a consortium of local authority and housing association landlords working together to deliver quality services by means of benchmarking, peer review, good practice exchange and information sharing.
In 2006, Angela joined the Link Housing board and was made Chair in 2009. She joined the Link Group Board in April 2010.
Angela has worked in a number of voluntary positions including mentoring displaced young people in East Ayrshire and as a volunteering on the local community council. She brings to the board her expertise in performance management and business change within the housing field.
David Wilson
David was educated at Bellahouston Academy and Glasgow university. He worked for Rank Xerox and Dow Jones in senior management roles, mainly in London.
He has been a councillor in Inverclyde since 2007 and is currently Depute Provost and the chair of the Council's Planning, Licensing, Green Charter and Tall Ships committees.
David is one of Link's newest board members, having joined us in late 2009.
In addition to broad business and management expertise, through his activities as a councillor David brings to the board an appreciation of and insight into local authorities in Scotland.
Caroline Donaldson
Caroline is one of the founding Directors of Kynesis, a leading Executive Coaching organisation in Scotland.
She has worked in consultancy roles over the past 20 years and brings to Link a wide variety of experience including her knowledge of operations, sales and human resources. Caroline also has a keen interest in the behavioural aspects of Executive and Board development.
She is a member of the Institute of Directors, a member of the CIPD, European Mentoring and Coaching Council and a Board member of the Arches in Glasgow.
Caroline joined the Board in January 2011.