Samworth to chair RICS board

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has appointed former CBRE boss Martin Samworth to chair its new board. The role is one of two “critical” positions currently being filled as part of recommendations from the Bichard Review earlier this year. Samworth will take the £80,000 per annum chair role, while the £250,000 per annum director general role has yet to be announced. The RICS put together a panel of surveyors and laypeople to choose the new leads back in October, which included former Strutt & Parker senior partner Andy Martin, recently retired CBRE veteran Michael Brodtman, arbitrator Gaynor Warren-Wright, HR specialist Harriet Kemp, leadership expert Gillian Stamp and senior civil servant Marta Phillips. At the time the RICS said the two roles would “focus on continuing to restore members’ confidence in RICS through the transformation phase and beyond, as well as placing the public interest at the heart of its work” and would “ensure that RICS as an institution and the profession it serves both become more diverse and inclusive and that RICS shows greater leadership on the issues that matter most to society and our profession, such as sustainability, future skills, and climate change”. Taking up the role, Samworth said: “I have been a proud member of RICS for some 35 years, and have always regarded it as an honour and privilege. It is my aim to make sure that our membership feel the same, and to facilitate an engaged and rewarded profession who gain as much from us as we do from them. Our professionals and their expertise are our best ambassadors.” He added: “As a strong advocate for change and evolution I believe passionately that this role has the potential to make a significant difference and positive impact on both the profession and its standing in both the built environment and the wider business world. I am excited to have the opportunity to build our influence with stakeholders and to work with the wider industry in attracting a new and dynamic generation of young professionals.” Chair of the appointments panel Kemp said: “Martin’s industry experience across locations and cultures, alongside his strong global connections, make him an excellent appointment to this critical role. “We were inspired by his passion for an industry he has dedicated his entire career to and are confident that he will be a key figure in delivering our transformative vision. We are confident that Martin will seize this opportunity to push forward and lead from the front on the issues that matter – such as climate change and sustainability, data and tech, diversity and inclusion and the future skills needed.” The new RICS board will be a majority-member board overseeing day-to-day operations at RICS, delivering and executing on the strategic plan on behalf of governing council. The new structure also sees parity for the new RICS board with the standards and regulation board with both accountable to governing council, but with a clear separation of RICS’ regulatory functions and its membership work. To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@eg.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @EGPropertyNews