Property consultancy Colliers International has appointed rating specialist Gordon Garnett to its team in Birmingham.
Mr Garnett is the former leader of the valuation office's specialist rating unit for eastern England and, prior to that, district valuer and valuation officer for Nottingham and Derbyshire.
He has more than 40 years of experience in the industry and remains the youngest person ever to receive a RICS Diploma in Rating.
During his career, he has advised on all manner of property issues with key highlights including agreeing rating assessments for superstores and large foodstores throughout eastern England including John Lewis stores in Cambridge and Leicester, Warner Bros Film Studios Leavesden and the Harry Potter World Visitor Centre.
John Webber, head of rating for Colliers International, said: "Gordon is a well-respected and highly experienced professional in the rating industry and for him to be joining our team is a real coup.
"The Government's postponement of the 2015 revaluation is the cause of great pressure for many of our clients at a time when business is already extremely challenging.
"At Colliers, we are committed to addressing this issue at a national level in order to provide some much needed financial respite for our clients across the UK.
"Having Gordon on the team, with his first-hand experience of working with the valuation office will be of great value to our clients, both existing and prospective."
