Alisdair Chalmers

With over a decade of experience in client-facing B2B roles, I bring extensive expertise in sales and project management. A fundamental lesson I’ve learned is that one size fits all solutions rarely succeed, each business operates uniquely. My approach focuses on partnering with clients to deeply understand their current landscape and pain points, then collaboratively developing tailored impactful change.

Building strong, trusting client relationships through transparency, responsiveness and delivering on commitments has earned me a reputation for reliability. Continuous learning is paramount – I actively expand my knowledge to provide innovative solutions that achieve tangible results.

‘I am firm believer in challenging the status quo and sharing best practice. The notion of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is often a blocker to growth and progress. Instead, my philosophy aligns with the mindset of “if it’s working, how can we make it even better?” This approach encourages continuous improvement, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

Interim specialists with deep-rooted sector experience bring invaluable insights, having witnessed the full spectrum of operational challenges and breakthrough strategies. These seasoned professionals offer a unique perspective, enabling housing associations to learn from past successes and failures, implement best practices, and drive meaningful change. Their ability to provide immediate, expert-level intervention can be a game-changer in addressing complex operational, strategic, and cultural challenges.

The UK Social Housing sector is navigating a complex landscape of unprecedented challenges and transformative opportunities. Beyond technological innovations, the critical focus remains on addressing the fundamental needs of tenants, improving operational efficiency, and creating sustainable, resilient communities. Housing associations are increasingly recognising that operational excellence goes far beyond digital solutions – it’s about understanding the human experience at the core of social housing.

Many housing associations are proactively pursuing merger strategies and shared service models to enhance operational efficiency, improve financial resilience, and deliver more comprehensive services to tenants. This trend towards consolidation is driven by increasing financial pressures, complex regulatory environments, and the need to achieve economies of scale in an increasingly challenging economic landscape.

The future of social housing will likely be defined by leveraging collective resources, share technological investments, and create more standardised yet localised approaches to housing management. Emerging challenges such as decarbonisation, building safety compliance, affordable housing shortages, and the need for digital transformation are pushing housing associations to collaborate more closely, share critical infrastructure, and develop innovative approaches to meeting diverse community needs. Moreover, these merged and collaborative entities are increasingly focused on not just providing housing, but creating sustainable, supportive communities that address broader social and economic inequalities.

I enjoy going to the gym and keeping myself fit. Throughout my younger days I played many sports to a high level. Keen golfer with a handicap of 5, playing at Sand Moor in Leeds. I enjoy nothing more than a golf trip with the boys or beating my dad and brother in our annual pilgrimage to Gleneagles in the summer.

Home life is pretty busy, my wife, 2 young children and Show Cocker keep me toes!

‘Podcasts: Finding Mastery with Dr. Gervais, No Bullsh!t Leadership with Martin G Moore, Anything with Simon Sinek in it.

Books: 7 habits of highly effective people – Stephen Covey, Legacy – James Kerr, Start with the Why – Simon Sinek