Pat Ritchie

Chief Executive

Pat Ritchie has been the Chief Executive of the HCA since 1 November 2010.

Pat is responsible for leading the Agency through a significant period of change to become a smaller investment and enabling agency focused on working with Local Authorities. Pat is also implementing the delivery of the new Affordable Homes programme, decent homes, and locally led regeneration including using land and property assets.   

Pat was previously the HCA Director for the North East. Since joining the HCA in 2008, Pat has played a leading role at a national level in developing Local Investment Planning, our key business process.

As well as establishing our new team in the North East, she has led the delivery of several key strategic projects across the area. These include Middlehaven, where jobs, learning and new homes are coming together to transform the former Middlesbrough dock site, and Newcastle’s Scotswood area, where a £9.8m HCA investment is the first step in a large-scale renewal project.

She has also played a leading role in developing plans for Byker, where an HCA-led Task Force has paved the way for development of a Community Trust, which could bring up to £48m of investment into the iconic Newcastle estate. Pat also leads on The Northern Way for the agency.

Pat has extensive experience in economic development and regeneration. As Assistant Chief Executive (Strategy) at One North East, she led on the Regional Economic Strategy and its action plan, as well as leading development of the Objective 2 programme for the North East.

Prior to this, she was Deputy Chief Executive of The Wise Group, a prominent employment and training company in Scotland and the North of England.

Pat’s experience also includes a senior management role with EDI, a property and economic development company owned by Edinburgh Council, and chairing the Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum from 2000 to 2003. In earlier years she had a variety of roles in economic development and regeneration for Newcastle and Sunderland City Councils. 

Register of Interests