SCOTTISH chartered surveying firm DM Hall has revealed it has started 2014 with a new managing partner at the helm.

Eric Curran, a long-serving partner in the firm's Glasgow North office, takes over from Bill Knight. Mr Knight has returned to providing surveying services to his clients after serving several terms in the role.

Mr Curran joined DM Hall from school in 1978 and worked his way up through the ranks, holding positions in the residential and commercial property sectors and rising to become partner in 1989. He is currently vice-chair of the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) residential property professional group board, a body that advises and guides surveyors on professional issues.

Mr Curran, who will serve as managing partner on an initial three-year term, said: "In taking on this important role in the firm, I will continue to strive for professional excellence and to provide the top quality advice that our clients deserve.

"I will direct my efforts to improving profitability so that we can reinvest in DM Hall with the aim of maintaining and improving our reputation as one of the leading firms in Scotland for integrity, professionalism and trust."

Mr Curran praised the role played by his predecessor in steering the company through the prolonged economic downturn, noting he has taken the reins from Mr Knight "at a time when the firm is well positioned to benefit from an improving market."

Mr Curran added: "That in itself can bring its own challenges, in terms of the investment required and the capacity issues which may arise as the economy becomes more buoyant, but we see the future in an optimistic light."