Chairman who played pivotal role in 2007 merger that created RLB to be succeeded by Ann Bentley
Rider Levett Bucknall鈥檚 UK chairman David Bucknall has announced he will retire from the firm next month, to be replaced by current operations director Ann Bentley.
Bucknall, son of Charles Bucknall who founded the quantity surveyor Bucknall Austin in 1947, has held leading positions in the firm for several decades since joining in 1961, including heading a management buyout of the company in 2003.
Bucknall also played a leading role in the 2007 merger that created RLB, bringing together Australian firm Rider Hunt, Hong Kong-based Levett and Bailey and Bucknall Austin.
Bentley will succeed Bucknall as chairman and will take a seat on the firm鈥檚 global board after a vote of UK staff-shareholders.
The 73-year-old Bucknall will continue with his role as chairman of the RICS QS professional board and said he was looking at getting involved in a 鈥渘umber of other initiatives鈥�.
He told 好色先生TV he was exploring opportunities to 鈥渁dd value and integrate a rather fragmented industry鈥� but said he would not get involved in 鈥渁ny direct competition to RLB鈥�.
Bucknall said he was 鈥減roud to have kept RLB independent and kept it away from the predators鈥� - referring to the spate of takeovers of UK consultants in recent years.
Lance Taylor, chief executive of RLB, said: 鈥淒avid has been pivotal in establishing Rider Levett Bucknall as a 21st century global player.
鈥淗is innovation and passion has driven both the firm and the quantity surveying profession as a whole into the cutting edge profession it is today.鈥�
Bucknall served as senior partner and then chief executive in the seventies, eighties and nineties. A takeover by a venture capital firm in 1998 led him to spend a five-year stint elsewhere in the profession, before his return to the company in 2003.
Bucknall added: 鈥淢y passion and enthusiasm for the profession is undiminished. There is a great opportunity for the quantity surveying and project management sector to be part of the process of adding value across the whole life of buildings.鈥�
Bucknall will retain a role in RLB鈥檚 Prot茅g茅 graduate recruitment scheme that he launched seven years ago.
RLB employs 2,700 people in 120 countries.
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