A SOUTH East businessman has been named the top man in his profession, which has more than 130,000 qualified members working in 121 countries worldwide.

David Tuffin is the new president of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for the 2007/08 session. Mr Tuffin was formerly the South East regional chairman.

He is managing partner of independent building and project consultancy Tuffin Ferraby Taylor (TFT), a practice he co-founded in 1973 with colleagues Michael Taylor and John Ferraby.

Since then, he has worked with his partners to build up a national practice of seven offices.

Mr Tuffin said: "I am honoured to take up the post. This is a time of unprecedented change for the property industry.

"Here in the UK we've got one of the biggest commercial property markets in the world, and to keep it that way, we need clear direction from the Government and a minimum of red tape.

"RICS will continue to fight for fair and effective arrangements for Home Information Packs. Other challenges we face range from skills shortages, sustainability and the build up to the 2012 Olympics.

"Beyond the UK, we have to make RICS more relevant to its membership, both as a beacon of best practice and as commercial ambassadors for Britain as a whole."