Katie Cockburn has worked for Berwickshire Housing Association, based on the East Coast of Scotland, for over 20 years. From the beginning, she aspired to become a housing officer. Now, she is a neighbourhood manager and last year, she was selected to participate in the GEM programme for talented future housing leaders.

While working in a non-frontline training and sales role for Berwickshire Housing Association’s former subsidiary, HomeHunt, Cockburn realised she wanted to work directly with people rather than behind the scenes.

“It wasn’t quite a jealousy, but seeing those officers, I thought, ‘I really want to be doing that’”, she says.

In 2018, she became a housing officer and is now a neighbourhood manager. What she enjoys most about her job is “seeing the difference you’re making to people’s lives”.