One of the best known figures in the North East’s housing sector has announced his retirement and a search for his successor is underway.

Colin Hawkins, CEO of Osprey Housing, is set to step down from his role at the end of August after fifteen years at the helm.

Paying tribute to him, group chair Bill Chapman said: “Colin will be a hard act to follow. He has worked tirelessly with the Board and his staff team to steer Osprey to a strong financial position, to have a culture of service excellence and improvement and to have a healthy development programme in the pipeline.

“Meeting the needs of tenants and the local communities Osprey serves has been at the heart of everything he has done over the years. He has helped foster a strong ethos of partnership working and we are well placed to tackle the varied challenges the housing sector will face going forward.”

Among the many highlights of his tenure, Hawkins cites, as particularly noteworthy, last year’s transformation of the organisation from the Aberdeenshire Housing Partnership and Moray Housing Partnership to operate under the Osprey Housing banner.

It has been a story of success over the years with Osprey’s affordable housing now in 65 different communities throughout the North East. In 2002 the organisation had under 500 properties compared to the 1,750 of today with a further 240 affordable homes currently under management.

Hawkins said the achievements of the group over the years had been down to many people: “I’ve been privileged to work with dedicated staff teams, voluntary Board members, tenants and other housing professionals, all of whom share a vision of the fundamental requirement for good quality affordable housing, which is in my opinion the bedrock for a strong society.

“We are well on our way to delivering 350 new homes across the North East and we will shortly be publishing an ambitious corporate plan covering the period up to 2020.”

This plan includes further new developments particularly in Moray, further enhancements to tenant services after detailed discussions with OTRA (Osprey Tenants and Residents Association) and a programme of continuous investment in existing properties so demand for quality homes remains high.

Hawkins added: “I will certainly miss my involvement in the sector, but wish everyone associated with Osprey Housing the very best for the future. I am looking forward to getting out on the hills, rediscovering my love of motorcycling and spending more time with my family.”

Executive headhunters Aspen People have been appointed to support the Board in the recruitment of the new chief executive, more information for which can be found here.