Meet the board

You can find the Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association board members' biographies below.

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David Fraser
David Cowans
Mohindra Dhall
Brian Elliott
Anna Evans
Paula Evans
Martin J Gill
Neil Miller
David Robertson
William Wood

David Fraser

David joined the Edinvar board in July 2004 and joined the Castle Rock Edinvar board in August 2005. David was appointed Vice Chair of Castle Rock Edinvar in September 2006, then Chair in September 2008. David is also a member of Castle Rock Edinvar Audit & Risk Committee. His present portfolio includes Chairman of the Scottish Refugee Council and Member of the Department of Works & Pensions Ethics Committee. For twenty years he was Chief Executive of a number of public sector organisations in Scotland with annual income up to £100 million and 4,000 staff.

David's interests include quality improvement, governance and the involvement of service users.

David Cowans

David is the Chief Executive of Places for People and was appointed to the Castle Rock Edinvar board in September 2010.

Mohindra Dhall MBE

Mohindra was appointed to the board in March 2011. Mohindra's career has been in banking, operating as CEO for an International Bank. He is a founding member of the Ethnic Enterprise Centre in Edinburgh, and has been a Non-Executive Director of the Board of NHS National Services Scotland, Founder President of Scottish Indian Arts Forum and Director of the Rotary Club in Edinburgh.

Mohindra brings a strong financial and business background with experience of being a non-executive director and strong links with Edinburgh's ethnic communities.

Brian Elliott

Brian was appointed to the board in June 2008 and has taken responsibility for liaising with the Area Customer Liaison Panel as well as being a member of the Audit & Risk Committee.

Brian spent much of his career just over the border in England in a demand-led Government Agency that had many similarities to Castle Rock Edinvar. It, too, had a clear focus on customer satisfaction, reliability, speed of service and keeping its books in balance. Nowadays, he is a freelance wine writer in magazines and newspapers (including Scotland on Sunday) and a judge in the International Wine Challenge.

Now his four children have grown up, Brian lives with his Scottish wife, Pat, in the Borders and is a Community Councillor. His leisure interests include walking, football and, of course, wine.

Anna Evans

Anna Evans is an independent housing consultant. She provides strategic advice to local authorities, RSLs and strategic advice to Scottish Government, local authorities, RSLs and developers. She has recently been appointed by the Scottish Housing Regulator as a consultant Social Housing Specialist and Associate Inspector.

Anna's background is in economics and social research. She has worked in local authorities, Scottish homes and DTZ as a senior manager in the affordable housing team before establishing her own consultancy business. She previously acted as a board member and Chair of Lorne Area Housing Association and led the merger with Port of Leith Housing Association. She was also formerly a board member of Lothian Homes.

The aim of Anna's work - both as a consultant and Board member - is to make a contribution to increasing the supply of affordable housing in Scotland, and to see greater efficiency and value for money in the delivery of housing services. She also has an interest in improving the housing opportunities for those with specific housing needs.

Paula Evans

Paula was appointed to the board in March 2011 and is a Policy Manager at COSLA with experience of public affairs, political lobbying and policy development. Her experience is in policy areas other than housing.

Paula brings a strong background in strategic analysis and policy development and is familiar with the operation of various levels of Government.

Martin J Gill Bsc ACA

Martin joined the Edinvar board in July 2004 and joined the Castle Rock Edinvar board in August 2005 and Chairs the Audit & Risk Committee. Martin is 40 years of age, married to Jane and has 2 boys. Martin has achieved a BSc in Mathematics from University of Edinburgh and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is also a member of the Business Policy Committee at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland.

Martin is the Regional Managing Partner of PKF accountants and business advisors for Scotland. He is the assurance and advisory partner looking after a large portfolio of clients mainly owner managed businesses. He specialises in advising charities and the care home sector and acts for in excess of 35 charities and leads the Scottish PKF charity advisory team. Clients include Richmond Fellowship Scotland, SCVO, Alzheimer's Scotland, Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland.

Martin is a Committee Member and the convenor of the midi section at Musselburgh RFC where he also coaches the under 14 team.

Neil Miller

Neil joined the board of Castle Rock in July 2002 and joined the Castle Rock Edinvar Board in August 2005. Neil is also Chair of the Lothian Homes board. He is a Chartered Surveyor and his qualifications include BA in Accounting, Post Graduate Diploma in Land Economy, a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Neil was a former member of the Chairman of the RICs's panel or Arbiters and Experts in Scotland and former External Examiner, Department of Local Economy, University of Edinburgh.

David Robertson

David was appointed to the board in March 2011. David trained as a Chartered Accountant and is now providing strategic consultancy and other business advisory services. He previously operated at Managing Director and Finance Director level for the Smith Anderson Group and Senior Audit Manager at the former Coopers & Lybrand.

David brings significant financial corporate and commercial experience including having led organisations through periods of change.

William Wood

William Wood joined the board of Castle Rock Edinvar in April 2010. Willie grew up in the Lothians and studied architecture at Edinburgh College of Art.  To escape economic recession in the late 70s he joined the Army for 3 years - and ended up staying a further 23 years.
 
His service included command of a regiment and being deputy head of the Royal Military Police. In other postings he organised humanitarian relief for the Kurds and worked for NATO in Bosnia. 
 
Willie is currently the General Manager for The Lamp of Lothian Trust based in Haddington looking after their historic buildings variously let or used for community benefit.

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Open University, and a Diploma in Company Direction, led him in 2004 to join the Board of the then Edinvar Community Care.  In his spare time he paints and gardens.

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