Thriving Investments hires manager for housing funds in Scotland and Manchester

Mr Crockett has more than 20 years of experience in real estate capital markets, having managed core and core-plus UK fund strategies across both the living and commercial sectors.

His previous roles include head of investment execution at Europa, director of operational capital markets at Savills UK and head of UK residential investment at Aberdeen.

During Mr Crockett’s 15 years at Aberdeen, he established the UK residential investment business from inception, growing it to more than £1.25bn in assets under management. He also worked with the pan-European team to expand the European residential business from €2bn (£1.75bn) to €6bn (£5.2bn) in assets under management.

Thriving Investments launched its New Avenue Living Fund in 2019 and it is currently valued at £222.5m. It has 11 sites across Edinburgh, Leith, Glasgow, Paisley and Midlothian, providing 742 homes with a further 449 currently under construction. The fund’s investors include Strathclyde Pension Fund, Scottish National Investment Bank, Nationwide Pension Fund and Places for People Scotland.

The platform focuses on building homes on brownfield regeneration sites. Thriving Investments’ Manchester fund was launched in March 2025 and is currently valued at £40m, with a target fund size of £200m.

Its initial sites are being assessed with the heads of terms agreed for its first site, a brownfield regeneration site in Bolton. The fund’s investors include Greater Manchester Pension Fund, Better Society Capital and Places for People.

Mr Crockett’s appointment will support the continued growth of New Avenue Living and Thriving Investments’ ambition to reach 20,000 homes by 2030. The asset manager recently surpassed 5,000 homes built or under management across its living platforms.

Thriving Investments is the only investment management company with a dedicated focus on the Scottish market.

The fund manager, established by Places for People, is focused on the UK living sectors, providing affordable homes through a range of investment platforms and tenures.

Its sectors include private sale, private rent, discounted rent (including mid-market rent in Scotland) and shared ownership, with total assets of £1.1bn.

Ed Crockett, fund manager at Thriving Investments, said: “Thriving Investments’ focus on long-term value creation and measurable social impact closely reflects my own investment philosophy.

“Through New Avenue Living, we are unlocking regeneration and accelerating the delivery of much-needed homes for essential workers who are too often priced out of the markets they serve.

“The team has built a strong track record of delivering homes that respond to real need, and I look forward to building on this progress – driving the next phase of growth, while delivering sustainable investment outcomes and creating lasting benefits for communities, partners and investors.”

Last month, Inside Housing Living interviewed Thriving Investments’ chief executive Cath Webster. Ms Webster said the challenge to expansion is building confidence among the institutional players that have ploughed £1.1bn into its investment strategies.