Meet The Board
Our Board members are volunteers who give up their time to support the work of the Partnership. Board meetings are generally held 4 times a year. Each Board member is a director of the company, and also sits on one or more of our three committees: Housing; Resources and Governance; or Corporate Services.
Housing Committee - is responsible for reviewing Osprey Housing Management activities and reporting to the Board on all Housing Management aspects of tenant communications, tenant consultations and tenant participation.
Finance & Audit Committee- has responsibility for taking a Quality Assurance and overview of Osprey Housing's activities and reporting to the Board on the financial reporting process; the external audit; the accounting and internal control systems and the internal audit function.
People & Organisation Committee - is responsible for reviewing Osprey Housing's Corporate activities and reporting to the Board on communications and marketing strategy, ICT strategy, Human Resources and complaints/feedback.
Brian Watson - Board Chair, Osprey Housing
Brian joined the Osprey Housing Moray Committee of Management in 2017, he was elected Chair of Osprey Housing in September 2024.
Brian has over 40 years’ experience in public sector Housing. Previous roles included senior positions in local government as Director of Housing & Property with the former Banff & Buchan District Council before becoming the First District Manager for Grampian, Highlands & Islands with the Governments former National Housing Agency, Scottish Homes, where he played a lead role in transferring SSHA housing to Cooperatives and providing development funding to Housing Associations. After short spells in the private construction & development sector, he returned to local government with Aberdeenshire Council in 2004 initially as a Housing Manager and latterly as Acting Head of Housing, a post he held for a year before retiring at the end of 2016.
Les Allan - Board Member, Osprey Housing
Les joined the Osprey Housing Board following the Transfer of Engagements of Osprey Housing Moray on 1 April 2021. He currently serves as the Board’s vice Chair.
A Glaswegian, Les has lived in the north east for 28 years having come to the area to work for Banff and Buchan District Council’s Housing Service. At reorganisation of local government in 1995/6 he became Head of Housing for North Aberdeenshire, continuing to manage the area’s housing stock. He led Aberdeenshire Council’s housing stock transfer option appraisal which resulted in tenants wanting to remain with the Council. That year he became Area Manager for the Marr area of Aberdeenshire where he led community planning, administered the work of Marr Area Committee, led the Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership in Huntly during its 4 year operation, was a member of the Council’s Management Team, was involved in emergency planning, leading Huntly’s recovery from its flooding in 2009, and was engaged with the local communities of Marr to assist in enabling community aspirations and projects to be achieved. He retired in 2014.
He has a degree in Business Administration and a diploma in Housing Management and is a retired member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and was a Practitioner Member of the Institute of Customer Service. Currently chair of Huntly and District Development Trust, a charity and social enterprise which is involved in a range of community projects, he is also on the board of Houseability Aberdeenshire which is a housing charity providing tailored housing options for disabled people.
Stuart Robertson - Board Member, Osprey Housing
Stuart joined the Osprey Housing Board of Directors in 2013.
Stuart established the post of Planning Gain Coordinator with Aberdeenshire Council in 1998 being responsible for the provision of infrastructure contributions from developers together with the procurement of affordable housing. I retired from the Council in 2011. He previously held posts in the housebuilding industry and civil engineering sector including offshore and onshore projects.
Brian A Topping - Board Member, Osprey Housing
Brian joined the Osprey Housing Board of Directors in 1999 and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Housing Committee.
Brian has been a local elected councillor for 30 years and is a member of Aberdeenshire Council's Education Committee. Brian has a wide interest and involvement in Accident Prevention bodies at local and national level and has numerous appointments with local bodies. He is also a former member of the Fire and Rescue Board and a founding member of Aberdeenshire Housing Partnership.
Douglas Bodie - Board Member, Osprey Housing
Douglas joined the Osprey Housing Board of Directors in 2010, he currently serves as Chair of Resource & Governance Committee.
Douglas joined the Bank of Scotland in Portsoy in 1968 working in several branches in the north east until he moved to Head Office in Edinburgh in 1973 joining the internal audit and lending control team. He moved back into Branch Management in 1984 initially in Edinburgh then Aberdeen. For his last 13 years with the Bank, Douglas was a Director of Corporate Banking in Aberdeen being the relationship contact for businesses with a turnover in excess of £5M. Douglas retired from the bank in 2010 following the takeover of Bank of Scotland by the Lloyds Banking Group.
Jonathan Young - Board Member, Osprey Housing
Jonathan joined the Osprey Housing Board of Directors in 2003 and currently serves as Vice Chair of the People & Organisation Committee.
Jonathan brings considerable experience in town and country planning, working for various local authorities and public agencies in North East Scotland, involving the development management of a wide range of housing, commercial and industrial schemes, introducing new initiatives such as planning gain, affordable housing, design awards and percent for art. He has worked also in the private sector in environmental management schemes and sustainability projects with National and European agencies, and currently Tutors with the Open University. He has been a past Chairman of the Royal Town Planning Institute in Scotland.
Alison Mitchell - Chairman of Aberdeen Soroptimist Housing Society
Alison joined the Osprey Housing Board of Directors in September 2021. Before she joined the Board Alison served as the Chairman of Aberdeen Soroptimist Housing Society for several years and led the organisation during the Transfer of Engagements into Osprey Housing.
Robert Hepburn - Board Member, Osprey Housing
Robert joined the Osprey Housing Board of Directors in 2006 and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee.
Robert qualified as an accountant in the 1970s and held senior positions in Finance and Housing with Local Authorities for over 30 years. He assisted in the development of the post graduate diploma course for the Institute of Housing at Stirling University and acted as an examiner for the Institute for a number of years.
Simpson Buglass - Board Member, Osprey Housing
Simpson joined the Osprey Housing Board of Directors in 2019, he currently serves as Chair of People & Organisation Committee.
A retired member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Simpson has had a career in property spanning more than 45 years, mainly covering commercial property, but also other sectors including residential and development.
For the last fifteen years of full time work, Simpson had been a member of the RICS Dispute Resolution Panel, acting as Expert and Arbitrator on disputes, and for over twenty years chaired examination interview panels and mentored trainee surveyors for the RICS.
Savills prepared the Aberdeen City Living Report for Aberdeen City Council which looked into existing residential accommodation in Aberdeen city centre and considered methods to encourage additional residential developments.
Prior to retiring in September 2019 Simpson was Director and Head of Office of Savills Aberdeen.
Kay Diack
Kay joined the Osprey Housing Board in 2023. She is currently a member of our Housing Committee. Kay works full time with Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership.
Colin Hawkins
Colin joined the Osprey Housing Board of Directors in 2023 after retiring from his role as Osprey Housing CEO in 2017. He currently serves as Chair of our Housing Committee.
John Connelly
John joined the Osprey Housing Board in 2022. He is currently a member of our Finance & Audit Committee. John works full time with NHS National Services Scotland.