Albyn Group includes Albyn Housing Society, one of the largest social housing providers in the Highlands with 3,800 properties across 80 communities in the area.

Jim has been with the organisation for 29 years during which time he has held various roles across the housing, maintenance and customer service functions, most recently serving as the customer services manager for the Income Team. Under his leadership, the team successfully reduced outstanding rents to 2.9%, ensuring maximised rental income and necessary support to help tenants sustain their tenancies. 

“In this newly created role, Jim will have oversight of the various functions across customer services, including our subsidiary Highland Residential,” said Maureen Knight, deputy CEO and director of operations. “His role will foster collaboration with teams across the business to deliver on the operational and strategic objectives required to provide a truly brilliant customer experience, whilst meeting the ongoing demands and future challenges that lie ahead within our sector.”

Of his appointment, Jim Banks said: “I am tremendously excited to be given this new role with Albyn. I am really looking forward to continuing the ongoing process of taking the organisation towards our ambition to provide excellent customer service in every aspect of everything that we do. Our recent tenant satisfaction survey results are extremely positive, with overall satisfaction rising to almost 91%. I hope to be able to play my part in improving even further on the great service we take pride in providing to our tenants.”

Following Jim’s promotion, Gayle Anderson, the former senior housing officer (income team), has been appointed as the new customer services manager for the Income Team.

Maureen Knight said: “Gayle proved herself to be an exceptional candidate.”

Gayle’s previous role as senior housing officer has now been filled by Julie Rigby, who has also risen through the ranks at Albyn. Julie joined Albyn in August 2015 as a housing services assistant and later progressed to housing services officer.

Gayle added: “Julie has consistently demonstrated excellence in performance and service delivery – a commitment she is eager to continue in her new role as Senior Housing Officer.”

These recent promotions highlight Albyn’s dedication to fostering talent from within and supporting career development, a core aspect of the organisation’s People Strategy. The strategy has introduced the Performance Management Review Programme, which connects individual performance objectives to the broader organisational and team business plans. Employees take the lead in setting their objectives with their line managers, with ongoing support and oversight to develop their personal and professional growth.