How did you get started in the industry?

I went to work for Newton Property, as an office intern in July 2007, after working for my Dad. A month later, Stephen O’Neill (chairman of Newton Property) offered me a job as a trainee letting agent.

I spent the next 3 years working alongside Stephen and his team, doing everything/anything then I moved to London to work for Foxtons. A year later, I returned to work for Clyde Property – initially in Helensburgh for 5 years then onto the West End branch.

I returned to work for Newton Property in 2017 as its Letting Director before acquiring the letting division in March 2019. I rebranded the business as Rosevale Letting in October 2023.

Biggest professional achievement?

Buying the business in 2019. When I went back to work for Newton Property, I knew they were eventually going to sell the letting division and had offered me first refusal.

Best advice you received?

Save, save, save! You never know when a rainy day will come along. My first anniversary was the first day of lockdown. There was an initial window when I thought we wouldn’t make it through Covid.

What do you like most about your job?

Every day is different. I love meeting new clients and looking at property.

And the least?

The bureaucracy. There needs to be balance in the Private Rented Sector. The Scottish Government don’t seem to have a handle on it.

What if any permanent changes have been made within your company in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic?

We moved to an automated booking system in July 2021. When the market kicked into life that summer, some properties were getting over 200 enquiries within 24 hours. Inspect Real Estate (iRE) allows us to manage our enquiries whilst making the viewing process as fair as possible.

We have also just moved our letting operating system to SME Professional. SME is a Scottish company which provides leading tech for any letting/estate agency in Scotland. Its system is designed primarily for the Scottish market and has vastly helped to streamline our services.

Which newsletters/bulletins do you receive?

I receive updates from Propertymark/ARLA (the industry regulatory body for Residential Letting) on a weekly basis and monthly from SAL (Scottish Association of Landlords).

How would you change Scottish Financial News?

It does a great job as it is with its daily updates.

Do you read a daily newspaper?

I have a quick look online at either The Herald or Daily Mail if I have time.

Which social media sites do you use, and which do you find the most useful?

I mostly use Instagram. I enjoy that it’s predominantly visual rather than people writing War & Peace via the likes of Facebook. I also have a LinkedIn account but I’m terrible at posting on it.

Hobbies and interests?

I spend my weekend with my wife and kids. My son (Aged 6) recently took up rugby at GHK. I enjoy taking him there and helping with the team.

Favourite holiday destination?

Elie, Scotland or Barbados for winter sun.

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