Keith commenced his professional training in Glasgow in 1976 in the District Valuer’s Office, now the Valuation Office Agency and, after undertaking the RICS examinations and the TPC (the forerunner of the APC), qualified as a chartered surveyor in 1981. In 1982, he joined the Aberdeen firm of FG Burnett and was a partner /director between 1990-2003- at which latter time he semi-retired: since then however he has been retained as a consultant on an ad-hoc, part-time basis.

His main professional experience lies in property valuation and related advice with particular emphasis on specialised property asset valuations and compulsory purchase/compensation claims.  The majority of his first six years of professional life was with regard to acting on behalf of acquiring authorities in the assessment and negotiation of compensation claims of mainly residential property (but also some commercial property) in central Glasgow where there were numerous comprehensive redevelopment areas dealing with slum clearance/regeneration schemes. Since moving to FG Burnett, he has advised many clients involving residential, commercial and agricultural properties affected by Compulsory Purchase Orders and has negotiated compensation claims on their behalf- mainly in North-East Scotland, but also in many other parts of Scotland. This has involved appearances at Public Local Inquiries into objections to public works and at the Lands Tribunal for Scotland in respect of disputed compensation assessments.

Keith is the current Chair of the SCPA. Further, he has been a member of his local RICS branch committee for numerous years (and a past chairman) and served on RICS Scotland Scottish Council/Board for several years and was Chairman of RICS Scotland for 2011/12. He is currently head of the SCPA. He was a RICS Scotland representative on the Scottish Government Strategy Team in 2011/12 with regard to the updating of CPO etc. advice to acquiring authorities in Scotland and was extensively involved with regard to the recent Scottish Law Commission investigation into Scottish CPO and compensation claim law on behalf of both the CPA and RICS.