Having founded Griffin Webster with Richie Webster in 1984, David remained at the helm of the business following Richie’s retirement in 2005. Working across commercial property acquisitions, sales, lettings, rent reviews and rating appeals, David Griffin has played a key role in the sector for over four decades.

Serving previously as a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Griffin Webster’s notable projects included the assembly of 22 heritable and leasehold properties to make way for the new Merchant City Quarter and the acquisition of the Buchanan Hotel and Old Atheneum, developed and let to Chow Phraya restaurants with another unit sold on to Mari Gizzi’s Amarone.

In his decades of working within the industry, David has seen huge changes to Glasgow’s skyline, with many new ‘Grade A’ and refurbished offices brought to fruition.

David said: “Having worked for almost half a century in Glasgow’s dynamic commercial property sector, I have seen shopping centres planned, built and planned again for demolition. 

“I have also been privileged to work alongside many interesting and inspirational people on exciting and innovative projects. Probably the biggest change in my career has been the social side. We used to have business meetings in the office, pub or a celebratory lunch in a nice restaurant. Now it’s coffee in Costa or Sarti’s with less agent to client, or agent to agent bonding, with restricted company expenses being the principal reason for the change. Probably good from a health standpoint but we did have some good times.

“It is rare to work in such a close-knit industry where even direct competitors can become close friends. My working life has been full of positive experiences and many happy times despite the inevitable challenges that the sector has brought over the years.

“It’s ironic that despite following Celtic FC for over 60 years I never did any business with them until I advised in the acquisition of their new shop at 12-20 Queen Street, Glasgow, possibly my last deal on behalf of a client.

“With my wife Susan I will continue to manage our family’s property portfolio, which we built over the last 30 years, and will still provide consultancy services for a small number of close connections, whilst also being more than happy to continue mentoring those newer to the industry.”