Osprey Housing Group’s new Director of Housing is Daniel Thompson, who replaces Stacy Angus following her appointment as the North-east social landlord’s chief executive.
Daniel joins Osprey — which currently owns and manages more than 1,800 properties across Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, and Moray — from Grampian Housing Association where he was most recently a senior business improvement manager and before that a senior housing officer.
Daniel, 34, grew up in inner city Sheffield, and believes his early first-hand experience of social housing has helped shape his drive to make a lasting difference to the lives of tenants.
He said: ‘I am acutely aware of the impact that quality housing — or the lack of it — can have on individuals and families.
‘Growing up, I was exposed to deprivation, the effects of which were far-reaching. I want to make real and meaningful change for our customers by really listening to them and addressing their concerns.’
Daniel —who joined Osprey on 5th January — is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and has an HND from Sheffield Hallam University in Planning and Property Development. He also has a Masters in Housing Management, awarded by the University of the West of England which named him ‘best postgraduate housing student in the South-west of England.’
After several years in a mix of roles at Yarlington Housing Group in Somerset, Daniel relocated to the North-east and joined Aberdeen City Council in 2014 as a housing officer.
He moved to Grampian Housing Association in 2017 where he successfully led a team for four years before joining Osprey. In that role, he negotiated a local lettings policy with Aberdeen City Council to deliver 43 socially-rented units providing affordable accommodation for NHS staff and other public sector key workers.
He also played a key role while at GHA as a board member of the Housing First for Aberdeen city and Aberdeenshire consortium, working to find solutions for those suffering from cyclical homelessness and multiple complex needs.
Daniel, who lives in Kemnay with his Newmachar-born wife and their two daughters, is a keen runner, passionate about travel, and is devoted to spending time with his family.
‘In the short-term, my main goal is to get to know our customers and their needs as well as the Osprey team,’ he said.
‘Medium-term, I want to review our working practice to ensure we are delivering excellent customer service and value for money.’
He added: ‘Looking further ahead, I aim to work with the rest of the team to grow our housing stock, improve our existing properties, and put in place the processes needed to ensure our customers are automatically at the heart of all our decision-making.’
Stacy Angus said: ‘We are really pleased to have Daniel join the team at Osprey — his genuine passion for the sector matches what we want to deliver and achieve.
‘He brings with him a wealth of housing management experience and knowledge to lead the team on the path of continual improvement we aspire to.
‘At Osprey, we always seek to recruit those whose core values align with ours, and this is very much the case with Daniel’s appointment. His ambitious, professional yet approachable, empathetic style will complement the existing team in delivering a quality service to our tenants.’
