RICS appoints Bichard for governance role

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has appointed Lord Michael Bichard as a senior independent governor. The appointment forms part of the 36 recommendations put forward by Bichard in his review of the RICS, published in June. RICS’ governing council has also agreed the merger of its nominations and remunerations committees, as per recommendation 30 of the Bichard RICS Review. It will be co-chaired by the current chairs Harriet Kemp (remuneration) and Desmond Hudson (nominations) until early 2023.  The new committee has approved an appointments model enabling oversight of all governance appointments. Bichard said: “I developed a strong affinity for RICS and its members during the course of working on my report,” adding that he was looking forward to “ help deliver my recommendations at pace”. Bichard takes up the governance role immediately so he can oversee a timely implementation of his recommendations. Nick Maclean, interim chair of the governing council, said: “Our members were rightly impressed with Lord Bichard’s review and his passion for our profession. “As we move to implement his recommendations at pace, we see no one better placed to work with us in the interim to ensure the actions follow our member feedback and sentiment, as Lord Bichard received this directly, or to hold the board to account in setting the strategy of the organisation to meet the challenges of the future.”   To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@eg.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @EGPropertyNews