Our Board
Our Board Members are listed below.
If, like us, you want to make it possible for more people to live their best lives at home surrounded by a supportive community, we'd love to hear from you. For more information, click here.
Paul Edie
Chair: September 2023
Board Member: Elected September 2023
Paul is an experienced Non-Executive Director and leader in the public sector. He has served in a wide variety of organisations including Councils, Health Boards and charities. Paul was also a Councillor in Edinburgh for 23 years, during which time he helped pilot various initiatives aimed at improving the quality of housing stock and addressing the shortage of affordable housing. Paul is a former Chair of the Care Inspectorate where he ensured the highest standards of governance. This led to the organisation being the first Scottish Public Body and the first UK regulator to achieve the CIPFA Excellence in Governance Award.
Frances Wood
Vice Chair: January 2024
Board Member: Elected September 2023
Frances is a housing professional by background and was a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing. Early in her housing career, she worked on training and policy for the Chartered Institute of Housing then the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations. Frances then spent 12 years at the Scottish Government, having led policy development in many health and social policy areas including community care, community safety, health improvement, social inclusion, tackling poverty and promoting employability. Frances is currently an Ordinary Member of the First Tier Tribunal for Scotland, Housing and Property Chamber, hearing a range of private sector housing cases concerning Letting Agent and Property Factor Codes of Practice, Landlord Registration appeals, Right of Entry, evictions and civil proceedings and tenancy deposits. In her spare time, Frances is a Trustee and Head Coach of her local athletic club.
Derek Breingan
Board Member: Elected September 2023
Derek has many years of UK multi-banking experience and has been focused on health and social care for 17 years. Upon joining Clydesdale Bank in 2010, he was tasked with creating a dedicated sector proposition and growing the bank’s appetite to support health and social care business and the third sector across the UK. Derek now runs a team of 23 colleagues dedicated to the sector (the second largest segment within the business bank now known as Virgin Money), at over £1.2bn. With this wide knowledge of social care and real estate, Derek’s team has financed over 100 new build developments in the last 8 years. The portfolio also includes owner-managed, sponsor-led corporates and dedicated sector real estate lending across a broad spectrum of sub sectors. Derek is an Ambassador for Championing Social Care.
Amanda Britain
Board Member: Elected September 2025
Amanda is a housing professional and experienced non-executive director who has always worked in partnerships, ‘joining the dots’ between housing, health, and social care - and more recently in digital services.
Amanda has authored many reports on the housing and support needs of older and disabled people and played a key role in developing Scottish national policies on housing for older people.
During the pandemic, she led programmes to address digital exclusion, such as providing iPads to care home residents.
Until 2024, she was the Scottish member of Ofcom's Communications Consumer Panel. Amanda is currently a Board Member of Capability Scotland, and Chairs its Finance, Audit and Resources Committee, and is a former Board Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland. Amanda has recently become an Ambassador of Age Irrelevance.
Steve Dungworth
Board Member: Co-opted January 2026
Steve is an experienced non-executive director and transformation leader with a background in social housing, public services, and organisational change. He brings particular expertise in digital, data and technology strategy, with a focus on governance, assurance and risk. Steve has supported Boards and executive teams to strengthen oversight of digital investment, data integrity, cyber security and regulatory compliance, ensuring technology and information are trusted enablers of organisational purpose. His experience includes advising on operating models, performance frameworks and assurance arrangements that support better decision-making and long-term sustainability. Steve is committed to values-led governance and to supporting Bield’s mission to enable older people to live independently, with dignity and choice, in safe and supportive communities across Scotland.
_2025_07_10_22_09_18.jpg)
Robert Fernie
Board Member: Elected September 2017
Robert is a Chartered Management Accountant who took early retirement in June 2016 after 36 years in the Scotch Whisky industry with Chivas Brothers Ltd of Paisley. His role for the last 15 years was Customer Service Director with responsibility for managing worldwide supply chains and customer relationships. Prior to that, he held a number of finance positions within the company. Robert has experience of change management, organisational development and systems implementation and setting strategy and objectives for a large function. He has been involved in various corporate compliance initiatives such as the implementation and management of policies relating to corporate social responsibility and procurement tendering procedures and protocols.
Emma Garry
Board Member: Elected September 2025
Emma is a Chartered Surveyor and Development Consultant with over 20 years' experience delivering affordable housing across both the public and private sectors.
She has held senior roles within the housing association sector, including Director of Development at Scottish Borders Housing Association, and previously lead Hillcrest’s development programme in Edinburgh.
Emma is deeply committed to ensuring that everyone has access to a home that is both affordable and meets their needs.
As a consultant, she regularly advises Boards on development strategy, helping to strengthen governance through effective risk management and opportunity evaluation.
Harry MacLean
Board Member: Co-opted January 2026
Harry is an experienced business leader and strategist with a strong track record in senior management, operational improvement and innovation across technology, care and commercial sectors. He currently serves as a Director at Rainbow Sensors Ltd and Creating Better Ltd, where he focuses on translating strategy into practical outcomes that drive growth and efficiency. Harry’s background includes senior leadership roles across manufacturing, retail and digital services, where he has led transformation initiatives and delivered measurable performance improvements. He brings a clear, pragmatic approach to the use of technology, with particular interest in its real-world return on investment and impact in complex environments such as care. Alongside his commercial work, Harry is deeply motivated by social purpose. His interests include eradicating poverty, mentoring care-experienced young people, and promoting a fair and equitable society. He is an active voice in thought leadership, focusing on leadership, productivity and social impact, and is committed to using business as a force for positive change. In his spare time, Harry is a keen supporter of Dundee Football Club, hiking and being a human to Loki and Jet, two chow chows.
Angus MacRae
Chair of Business Development Committee
Board Member: Elected September 2023
Angus is a former commercial solicitor with nearly 40 years’ experience. A graduate of Aberdeen University, Angus worked in private practice in Scotland and London. Along with others, he set up Semple Fraser LLP in 1990 and was a partner there until 2013 when he joined Dundas & Wilson. That firm then merged into CMS, a global law firm where Angus was a partner until May 2021. Angus has experience of development as well as investment and landlord/tenant work. He is dual qualified in both Scots and English law. Angus currently splits his time between Edinburgh and Ayr. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing and golf as well as helping out occasionally on his father-in-law’s farm.
Brian McLaren
Chair of People Committee
Board Member: Elected September 2023
Brian joined the Bield Board in March 2023 after a career in the Financial Services and Energy sectors spanning 35 years. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, with an MBA from Edinburgh University, Brian has worked for RBS Group, Computershare, ABN Amro and Bank ABC in Edinburgh, London, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bahrain. He has undertaken a variety of roles ranging from Commercial Banking to Group Director of Shared Services and various HR and Integration posts. Brian was the HR Director for RBS Asia prior to returning to the UK to take on the role of Director of Group Change for SSE plc where he led its transformation to a renewable energy company.
Gillian Merrett
Board Member: Elected September 2024
Gillian is a tenant in Blairgowrie with experience working in NHS Research and Ethics. Her experience involved reviewing research papers, ensuring correct and clear information was provided. As a member of Bield’s Partnership Forum, Gillian has experience in scrutinising policy and providing a voice for tenants. Gillian has an interest in health equality and social justice in old age and, with shifting demographics over the coming years, she is keen to play a part in how Bield deliver their services in these areas.
Stephen Oswald
Board Member: Elected September 2025
Stephen relocated back to Edinburgh in 2012 from London after 25 years of study and work in the property and construction sectors. Stephen currently serves as Project Lead for Capability Scotland’s Our Inclusive Community Project which will deliver new city centre residential studios for 60 disabled people. Stephen is also a Trustee of ScotArt, a charity that offers affordable studio, business incubation and office space to artists, entrepreneurs, and community organisations.
Stephen has an interest in developing sustainable environments by taking a holistic approach to issues around housing, employment, training, education, assistive technology, leisure and health. Stephen has served on the Board of an Edinburgh-based Housing Association and previously participated in national government lobbying efforts to enhance integration between public services.
Stephen understands the currency of social value and the need to deliver “place” not just buildings.
Graeme Russell
Chair of Audit, Performance & Risk Committee
Board Member: Elected September 2021
Graeme initially joined the Bield Board over four years ago. Recently retired, he spent his entire career working in and for the housing association movement in Scotland. For many years Graeme held a variety senior positions in one of Scotland's largest RSL's, before taking up a role with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, and ending his career as the Chief Executive of an Edinburgh-based organisation. For a short time, Graeme worked for Bield as Director of Housing Services. Graeme is committed to the principles of the housing association movement, and is particularly interested in ensuring that the views and ambitions of current and future tenants are respected and that Bield continues to provide the best possible services to all its clients. In addition to his role with Bield, Graeme is a director and charity trustee of a small Edinburgh-based community health organisation which provides support services to vulnerable members of the community and works closely with GPs, social services and Lothian Health Board.