Richard Jennings has been appointed managing director at Castle Rock Edinvar after Alistair Steele announced he was to step down from the role at the end of the year.

Currently head of property at the Association, Richard will take up the post on January 1st 2017 when Alister Steele begins work on a new project with Places for People before retiring in March 2017.

Alister’s first involvement with Castle Rock was as a post graduate student placement in 1984. He joined the Association as assistant development manager in 1990 and has been managing director for over 15 years.

In last few years, Alister has been combining the managing director’s role with being chair of Our Power. He has recently been re-appointed as chair for a 3 year term and will continue in this role after March.

To celebrate Alister’s time with the company he has joined Social Bite’s CEO Sleep Out, where alongside other Scottish CEOs, he will sleep overnight in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, to raise funds and awareness for the charity. With the money raised, Social Bite aims to fund employment programmes for vulnerable people and to build a village for temporary accommodation for homeless people.

The Scottish Parliament has formally noted Alister’s retirement and significant contribution to the housing sector with a successful motion. In 2014 Alister was awarded with an MBE for services to housing and regeneration in Edinburgh.

Alister Steele said: “It has been and enjoyable and worthwhile 25 years at Castle Rock Edinvar and I have met a lot of great people during my time here. I look forward to having some ongoing involvement in the housing world.

“I am delighted to congratulate Richard on his successful appointment and I will enjoy watching the company’s future development. Given Castle Rock Edinvar’s roots, I can’t think of anything more appropriate than taking part in Social Bite’s CEO Sleep Out. Please help celebrate my retirement by sponsoring me and raising funds for a really good cause.”

Richard Jennings joined Castle Rock Edinvar as head of property in October 2014 handling capital investment and commercial activities. Before this, Richard was head of development at East Lothian Council. He has strong public and private sector experience, having worked in local and central government, as well as for KPMG and PwC.

Richard has a PhD in Geomorphology from the University of Wellington and a BSc in Geography from the University of Glasgow.

He is a Board member of Volunteer Scotland and chair of the Audit and Scrutiny Committee.

Richard said: “Stepping up to the role of managing director is a great opportunity and challenge and I am delighted to be building on Alister’s success. The Scottish Government’s commitment to housing and the Group’s focus on creating great places to live creates a great opportunity for continued growth and innovation and I am looking forward to working with the team to deliver this.”

Cathy Garner, chair of Castle Rock Edinvar, added: “I am delighted that Richard will be taking forward the good work that Castle Rock Edinvar has established under Alister’s leadership. I look forward to working with Richard, the team, Places for People and all who believe that housing plays a critical role in a sustainable future for our communities across Scotland.”