A stalwart of the north-east commerical property scene, Angus MacCuish, is to retire at the end of April following a surveying career spanning four decades.
Mr MacCuish, 58, is managing director of Aberdeen-based FG Burnett.
He will soon pass the reins to Richard Noble, who is already a director and head of agency at the firm.
The handover on April 30 will not be the last time the firm and its current boss see each other, however, as he will continue supporting the business as a consultant.
Born in Benbecula, Mr MacCuish moved to the Granite City in 1983 to take up a job at Webster and Company – now part of Colliers.
After joining FG Burnett as a partner in 1987 he became the company’s first MD in May 2002.
In his time at the helm, the firm has been at the heart of many of the region’s biggest property developments.
He said his career highlights included the relationships developed with “colleagues, clients, intermediaries and fellow surveyors” over the years.
“You just ever know who the next telephone call is going to come from,” he said, adding: “It could be landed gentry or somebody looking to add a little garage to start up a new business.”
Mr MacCuish said he had also enjoyed putting time and effort into training people and then watching them progress. “That is the lifeblood of any business,” he added.
City developments such as those at Peterseat, ABZ, Hill of Banchory and more recently The Core are a source of pride, thanks to FG Burnett’s involvement.
He did not hesitate when asked about his biggest bugbears in the property industry – red tape and a sluggish planning system were top of his list.
And he said he was fully behind efforts to revive Union Street after celebrities, business leaders, politicians and the Press and Journal joined forces earlier this week to launch a new debate on the future of the iconic thoroughfare.
“We have got to embrace the current mood,” he added.
But he also warned it was no use trying to turn the clock back to a golden era of city centre retailing, and was critical of candid comments about the street from Robert Gordon University Principal Ferdinand von Prondzynski which he said were “not from the top drawer of salesmanship”.
Mr MacCuish, who lives in Aberdeen with his lawyer wife Val, said he hoped to have more time for golf in his retirement.
He still has plenty to keep him busy besides his new consultancy role.
He is on the north-east area committee of the Scottish Council of Development and Industry and is also a project team member for social enterprise Glencraft and a trustee of Gaelic medium college Sabhal Mor Ostaig on Skye.
Mr Noble has worked for FG Burnett for 18 years and is also chairman of business development group Aberdeen Inspired.
He will be supported in his new role by an executive team of Graeme Watt, David MacLeod and Jonathan Nesbitt.
Ken Matheson will continue as FG Burnett non-executive chairman.