Get to know Martin Armstrong of the Wheatley Group, winner of the Inspirational Business Leader of the year at the 2019 Causeway Awards.

Where is he based?     

Glasgow

What does he do?       

Martin is the Chief Executive of Wheatley Group.  The Wheatley Group are a leading housing, care and property management group.

Why was he nominated?         

Martin has played a significant role in addressing Scotland’s housing crisis by leading a major house-building programme which has seen thousands of homes completed to date.  He has raised over £940 million

What has he achieved?       

Martin completed a deal with Glasgow City Council to become joint owners of City Building (Glasgow) securing 2000 jobs and more than 2000 apprenticeships over the next 30 years.

Martin previously led GHA, Wheatley’s biggest subsidiary and took it on a journey of excellence which saw it awarded the European Foundation of Quality Management’s (EFQM) Global Excellence Award.  Previously GHA won the EFQM’s Best in Europe for Building Organisational Capability award.

He is the only executive to have led two organisations – GHA in 2011 and West Lothian Council in 2006 to Quality Scotland’s “Scottish Award for Business Excellence”

Martin’s drive saw him transform GHA from a  failing organisation into a top performer by rebuilding stakeholder relationships and empowering staff to ‘think yes’ and do more for customers.  He steered GHA to create a group which now has six housing associations, two care providers, a commercial firm and a charitable trust.

He has set up an apprenticeship scheme in Wheatley to help disadvantaged people gain work or training.

It is thanks to Martin’s vision that Wheatley Group exists today as the UK’s biggest developer of homes for social rent and a major force for good in helping people have better lives.