IAN Fergusson likes nothing more than tramping about the great outdoors. It is a characteristic which may explain why he has found his career as a chartered surveyor so rewarding, and indeed why he was drawn to study the profession in the first place.

He may not get out in the field as much as he used to. The responsibilities brought by being managing partner of Shepherd Chartered Surveyors and chairman of  RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Scotland mean there is not much time for getting behind the theodolite.

But for Mr Fergusson the feeling of being on site, and dealing with clients face to face, has lost none of its appeal.

Mr Fergusson, who enjoys spending what spare time he gets taking coastal walks with his wife, recalls that his future vocation became clear during a summer placement he spent as a valuation surveyor before going to university.

“I enjoyed being out and about seeing properties - houses, offices, land, farms, hotels – and I liked being out meeting people, discussing their requirements, negotiating with sellers and buyers,” he said. “That took me into surveying, rather than accountancy.

“It’s been a lifetime of being out and about seeing people, spending your time out in all weathers. That’s the bit I enjoy.

“And also dealing with people and hopefully seeing them satisfied with either their home report, their investment or the home for their business they have bought.”

Mr Fergusson, who studied land economics at the University of Paisley, has spent gradually less time on site as he has risen up through the ranks with Shepherd, which he joined 26 years ago.

He has gone from surveying to running offices and then becoming a partner, with responsibility for heading divisions. He rose to his current post as managing partner in 2008.

His current remit extends to serving as chief surveyor of SBVS, a joint venture between Sesame Bankhall Group and Shepherd’s direct valuations arm south of the Border. SBVS handles valuations for the UK’s major lenders.

Mr Fergusson said it has been rewarding to see his own career develop as Shepherd, which now has 39 offices and 350 staff across Scotland, has grown.

Some of that growth has come through acquisitions. Most recently, it took over Glasgow-based Binnie-McKenzie Partnership, which strengthened its construction consultancy offer and its presence in quantity surveying services in the west of Scotland. That deal came as a result of Shepherd’s relationship with Hardies, the surveying and construction services firm it merged with in late 2016.

The Shepherd and Hardies businesses are now fully integrated and realising the synergies that the deal was expected to bring.

And it is leading to improved growth in areas such as client services and project management. As a result, staff are now being hired at all levels of the group, from apprentices to a recently recruited head of housing.

Mr Fergusson said the surveying sector generally across the UK is suffering from a shortage of qualified personnel, which Shepherd is attempting to address by investing in a graduate training programme. It has been running the scheme for the last decade.

Mr Fergusson said: “It’s really about investing to get new talent in to drive forward the growth.”

The Shepherd growth agenda includes an aspiration to develop the business, which is structured as a partnership, south of the Border.

The company’s SBVS joint venture in England, which carries out mortgage valuations and surveys, has been part of the group for 18 years, and enjoys significant coverage in England and Wales.

But it is not just through SBVS that Shepherd is eyeing growth. Mr Fergusson sees scope to expand its Hardies construction and property services brand in the market south of the Border.

He said trends in this sector can be “counter-cyclical” to what is happening in the residential property market,  and highlighted the flow of work Hardies has secured both from the private and public sectors.

Growth may also come via further takeover deals. “We still have aspirations in acquisitions and mergers,” Mr Fergusson said.

“We’re still working on that. I think we would look at strengthening regionally and in certain sectors that we operate.”

All this is happening against the backdrop of Brexit, a topic which seems inescapable in any conversation about business in Scotland today.

Asked if Brexit was putting off investment in commercial property from overseas, a view which has been expressed by Scottish property experts, Mr Fergusson replied: “What is [the shape of] Brexit? We don’t know yet and that is the problem.

“The markets dislike uncertainty and they can respond adversely; it can be rapidly, it can be over a period of time.

“It’s been years since the vote. It has become part of our working background, but it does still have an effect on individuals, so depending on the location of the investment, or the asset, certain purchasers may still be adversely affected by the spectre of Brexit.

“The uncertainty does tend to cause investors and businesses to sit on their hands, tread warily and wait.”

Ultimately, Mr Fergusson said, the key factors determining whether a commercial property deal goes through are the yield it offers and “therefore the price”. Brexit will be a factor in that assessment.

“There are a number of factors which come into the assessment of risk – Brexit being one of them,” added Mr Fergusson, stressing that, regardless of the final shape of Brexit, the key thing property buyers and sellers now need is “certainty”.

But it is not just the buying and selling of property which Brexit is affecting.

With the UK’s departure from the European Union (EU) ultimately set to restrict the movement of people in and out of the country, the surveying sector’s ability to attract the staff it needs may be further challenged.

Notwithstanding such matters, Mr Fergusson said trading has, on the whole, been steady for the Shepherd business in Scotland this year, but points out that there are variations.

In Aberdeen the picture is one of gradual improvement following the effects of the oil price crash, whereas in Edinburgh and the west of Scotland conditions are more robust.

“You’d probably say in Edinburgh there’s not many cheap deals to be had, but people are still buying in the residential sector and indeed the commercial,” Mr Fergusson said. “In Glasgow, both markets are resilient and quite strong, but even within those sectors there are sub-sectors, so you have retail, which of course has had its troubles as you see in the press.

“But then you see the positive impact on industrial sheds, which is driven predominantly by online retailing, storage and distribution.”

Away from the day job, Mr Fergusson continues to relish his involvement with RICS.

The surveyor, who became chairman of the organisation in Scotland in July, sees RICS as an essential platform through which to “keep standards and drive pride in the profession”.

He believes RICS can play a key role in inspiring the next generation of surveyors, and to help the profession adapt to changing working practices brought by continuous technological change.

“I do enjoy the engagement with RICS at officer level, internally, and externally with our members,” he said. “What I’d like to do is spread the word about what RICS does not only for our members, but the public. Royal chartered bodies are there for public protection.”

Six Questions

What countries have you most enjoyed travelling to, for business or leisure, and why?

A travelling holiday through India, the sights, the people and the history both ancient and modern made a lasting impression.

When you were a child, what was your ideal job? Why did it appeal?

I dreamed of being an air force pilot and longed to travel the world fly in the blue skies, perhaps that’s why I enjoy my business travels so much as I commute by air across the UK.

What was your biggest break in business?

Being headhunted to join J&E Shepherd in 1992, set me on a career path that sees me in the role of managing partner for J&E Shepherd and chief surveyor at SBVS, and chairman RICS Scotland.

What was your worst moment in business?

Perhaps predictably, the banking crisis and the crash of 2008 lasts in my memory for the effect it had on the property market.

Who do you most admire and why?

My father, who taught me the lessons of hard work and perseverance and he exhibits a unique indefatigability that I have attempted to emulate in

all walks of life.

What book are you reading and what music are you listening to? What was the last film you saw?

I am reading Sir David Attenborough’s Adventures of a Young Naturalist and marvel at his tales of distant lands and strange animals.

I enjoy music very much and have an eclectic taste, from classical to pop, and having just returned from a road trip in the US have enjoyed country music along the way. I also enjoy radio, in particular Desert Island Discs.

The last film I saw was Darkest Hour, starring Gary Oldman, in which he gives an Oscar-winning and mesmerising performance as Winston

Churchill in his early days as Prime Minister during the Second World War.