Six new board members join the Port of Leith Housing Association Group
The new members were sought after the Group’s five-year strategy was launched last year.
Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) and two of its subsidiaries have welcomed six new members to its Boards. Three of the new Board Members, who were appointed following a competitive process, are tenants of the organisation.
The new members were sought after the Group’s five-year strategy was launched last year, to sit across three of its Boards, including the housing association Board, the mid-market rent Board (Persevere Developments Ltd), the Board of its social enterprise, Quay Community Improvements.
Alan Armstrong
Alan Armstrong, a tenant of Port of Leith Housing Association, brings extensive experience of the hospitality and care at home sectors to the PoLHA and Quay Community Improvements Boards. Mr Armstrong is currently a Voluntary Worker with NHS Lothian and his local food bank.
Nicola Dobson
Nicola Dobson is an experienced programme and project manager who moved into community development in 2013 after a career in the electricity generation industry. She currently lives in Leith and is the Mental Health Programme Manager for the Scottish Government.
Ms Dobson, elected Chair of the Quay Community Improvements Board said: “I’ve been involved in community development for some time, and I’m convinced it’s one of the most powerful ways to make a better, fairer world.”
Leigh Eardley
Leigh Eardley is a tenant of Port of Leith Housing Association and has been Paralegal and Personal Assistant in the Legal and Asset Management fields for over 30 years. She has also run her own small plumbing and gas business.
Ms Eardley, a new Member of the PoLHA and Quay Community Improvements Boards said: “I love living in Leith, and I’m keen to use my first-hand experience of being a Port of Leith Housing Association tenant to help ensure that the organisation seeks out and responds to tenants’ views. I can see so much potential for Quay Community Improvements to make a big difference to communities across Leith and north Edinburgh, and I look forward to being part of that.”
Victoria Hennessy
Victoria Hennessy is an architect based in Edinburgh with experience working in public and private sectors across Scotland and Ireland. She runs her own architectural and interiors firm focusing on small residential projects across the central belt.
Ms Hennessy, who has become a Board Member of Quay Community Improvements said: “I am looking forward to applying my knowledge of architecture and urban regeneration to help Quay make communities across Leith and north Edinburgh even better places in which to live, work and visit.”
Vendula Pavlikova
Vendula Pavlikova, a tenant of Persevere Developments, is an IT Service Delivery Manager in Edinburgh. Ms Pavlikova, originally from the Czech Republic, moved to Scotland in 2014 and has lived in Leith since 2017.
Ms Pavlikova, a new Member of the Persevere Developments and Quay Community Improvements Boards said: “Joining the Board was the perfect combination of joining my passion for volunteering together with the opportunity to contribute to the community locally and offer some of my skills gained throughout my previous experiences. I am excited to be involved in some new projects that can benefit the community.”
Jim Sherval
Jim Sherval is a Consultant in Public Health at NHS Lothian and has worked on a range of health-related topics, including alcohol licensing and HIV. Originally from Portsmouth, Mr Sherval is a London School of Economics graduate and a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health. He has lived in Leith with his family for over twenty years. He has become a Board Member of Quay Community Improvements. Mr Sherval said: “PoLHA is such an institution in Leith and north Edinburgh, and I have a real interest in housing and wellbeing.”