Homes by Association

Mary Taylor’s career in housing spans practice in housing management, academia, and sector leadership, mostly around housing associations. She retired in 2017 from the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) where she had been CEO for 7 years. She sees herself as ‘pracademic’!

She started out in 1978 as a graduate trainee with the Scottish Special Housing Association (SSHA). She left SSHA to lead the staff team at the relatively new community-based Elderpark HA. She later helped to establish Clydesdale HA as a committee member and established / supported other associations while working freelance. During the 80s Mary was on the SFHA council, representing the sector’s views to ministers.

Mary moved into academia in 1990, taking a post at Stirling University to build on existing programmes to equip part-time students with professional education. She remained closely involved with practice through research, and remained engaged with the sector through placements, conferences and secondments. She advised the Scottish Parliament in 1999⁄2000 and completed a PhD on housing in 2003.

At SFHA from 2010, she renewed respect for the organisation’s voice as strong, effective, credible. Under her leadership, SFHA maintained support to and representation of a growing and increasingly diverse sector across the country.