Gail Matheson is the chief executive of Highland Housing Alliance, a development company striving to meet the high demand for quality homes across the north of Scotland.

What is your business called?

Highland Housing Alliance (HHA) Where is it based?

We are based in Inverness, but operate across Highland communities including Fort William, Dingwall and Aviemore.

What does it produce/do?

HHA is a development company with a mission to create well-priced and high-quality homes across the Highlands. Many of our developments are in remote areas where new development is often overlooked by larger developers.

We understand that the availability of such homes is critical to attract and retain people living and working here. We work with in partnership with The Highland Council, Scottish Government, housing associations and private landowners and developers to deliver against ambitious housing targets.

The majority of our homes are available at mid-market rent (MMR) rates, with some also now available for private rent in Inverness city centre.

Although we predominantly build from ground up, we have started to regenerate old, and often iconic, buildings into new housing. We try to preserve as many of the original features as possible to ensure buildings retain character and blend in with the wider landscapes.

To whom does it sell?

We are proud to serve various demographics and manage almost 400 homes as part of a £68 million portfolio which includes properties owned by HHA and a variety of LLPs.

Our MMR initiative is specifically targeted at people in employment, who are unable to raise the finance to purchase a home or rent privately. Typically, monthly rent is slightly higher than affordable housing but lower than private rent. We also offer a priority scheme for blue light workers, teachers, social care workers and local authority workers at selected developments.

What is its turnover?

Our turnover for year end to 2023 was £1.7Mm.

How many employees?

Nine.

What were you doing before?

I started my career studying quantity surveying at Edinburgh Napier University and went on to become a loss adjustor working across the UK. I then realised I was in the wrong sector and being in Inverness at the time, an opportunity with HHA as a development officer became available.

I was one of its first members of staff in 2006, becoming acting CEO in 2012 and permanent CEO the following year. It is important to feel fulfilled in your job, so if you’re not in the right place, try to make a change.

What do you least enjoy?

Genuinely, it is letting people down when we don’t have available homes. The demand is overwhelming, which highlights the complete imbalance of supply versus demand of housing in the Highlands.

Occasionally, more than 100 people apply for as little as four homes. Even after all of these years, I am not immune to disappointing people in sometimes difficult housing circumstances.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

The last two years for HHA have been incredibly positive and I want to continue increasing our MMR portfolio. We are targeting to deliver 100 new units within the next 12 months and year on year going forward.

Whilst it won’t solve the housing crisis up north, it will help to bridge the gap and I am confident alongside our key partners we will make a significant, positive impact.

What single thing would most help?

To achieve success, we rely on our partners and stakeholders – from local authorities to contractors - we all play a role in delivering results. Right now, there are skill gaps which slows project delivery and I am concerned that this will continue to widen if more isn’t done to encourage people into the industry – whether that’s into planning, engineering or cost consultancy.

We need more people in the industry now and to futureproof through clear pathways and progression routes for the next generation.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?

Hold your hands up when you have done something wrong. Nothing is ever as bad as you think it will be and, 99 per cent of the time, it can be fixed.

What was your best moment?

In 2021, I managed a multi-million pound re-structuring deal with Scottish Government and Scottish Widows which secured the tenancies of more than 160 MMR properties for the next 25 years.

The funding refinanced homes built and delivered under the National Housing Trust initiative, set up to help stimulate the construction sector and address a housing issue created by the lack of available mortgages in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Without the restructured loan, the houses would have been sold, removing a chunk of rental properties from the market in the Highlands, and potentially leaving some people homeless.

What was your worst moment?

There hasn’t been a standout moment, however given how close we work with our tenants, there is a daily challenge in having to disappoint hopeful tenants.

Who do you must admire and why?

Daley Thompson was the first person I can remember admiring when I was a youngster. His strength and determination were like nothing I’d seen before, and that has stuck with me since the eighties.

How do you relax?

Eating or gardening. Or, eating in the garden!

What book are you reading and what music are you listening to?

Book: The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman Music: A mix of old and new, the Bee Gees and Dylan John Thomas