Cameron Stott

The coming together of the three organisations creates a single voice for the sector In Scotland, with the businesses involved in Real Estate:Scotland including long term investors in all forms of real estate including offices, shopping centres, logistics and warehousing, hotels, modern build-to-rent residential developments and strategic land development sites.

A key objective for the new body is to continue the work of its predecessors in arguing for policies that support a “thriving industry which will drive economic growth and investment across Scotland”, given that the sector in Scotland directly employs some 40,000 people and is estimated to be worth some £5.3bn in annual turnover.

Real Estate:Scotland’s activities will be based around six pillars: advocacy; research and data; thought leadership and innovation; networking and events; upskilling and training; and standards and guidance. It will act as a single convenor for the sector and will work closely with parliamentarians, policymakers and regulators to create a “stable policy environment that encourages this investment and ensures it is deployed effectively to deliver the homes, workplaces, essential infrastructure such as logistics and leisure spaces that create and characterise thriving local communities”. 

Cameron Stott, currently head of Scotland at global property advisors JLL becomes the inaugural chair of Real Estate:Scotland, with Caroline Cuthbertson of Crosswind Developments as vice chair and David Melhuish as director.

Mr Stott said: “I am delighted to be appointed as the inaugural chair of Real Estate Scotland and look forward to working with our industry members, stakeholders, and government at all levels to progress the theme of the public and private sectors working collaboratively to deliver growth in the real estate sector and growth in the wider Scottish economy. 

“Together, as a sector working in partnership, we can deliver the housing Scotland desperately needs across all tenures; we can regenerate town centres and create vibrant urban communities; we can support the skilled workforce that builds Scotland’s future, and we can demonstrate that economic growth and social value are not competing objectives but complementary outcomes of strategic property investment. I strongly believe Real Estate Scotland is the vehicle through which we can achieve these goals.”