RICS appoints diverse panel for new leadership hunt

The RICS has appointed a mixed panel of professional and non-professional property experts to find it a new chair and director general. As part of recommendations in Lord Bichard’s review into the organisation’s governance and purpose, the RICS is on the hunt for two “critical” leadership roles. 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”. HR specialist Harriet Kemp has been appointed chair of the appointments panel for the two roles and will be joined by three surveyors and two further “lay people”. The surveyors tasked with hiring for the £80,000 per annum chair role and £250,000 per annum director general role are former Strutt & Parker senior partner Andy Martin, recently retired CBRE veteran Michael Brodtman and arbitrator Gaynor Warren-Wright. They will be joined on the panel by leadership expert Gillian Stamp and senior civil servant Marta Phillips. Kemp said: “These are critical roles, not only for the institution and the profession, but for the positive impact they will have on society in driving the public interest agenda. RICS is uniquely positioned to collaborate with a wealth of global organisations in making a tangible difference. “The institution and its members also have a golden opportunity to use this time to push forward, leading from the front on issues such as climate change and sustainability, diversity and inclusion and the future skills needed. We are excited to see candidates with a demonstrable interest in these key issues, and in supporting the profession in having broader impact in these areas.” Warren-Wright said she would not only be standing up for the dispute resolution side of the profession, but would be using her own experience of being a trans woman in the sector to ensure that any new appointments understood the importance of diversity and inclusion. “If they don’t get it, they won’t get past me,” she told EG. The chair of the RICS board has to be a surveyor and will be accountable to governing council for delivering the institution’s strategy and managing its day-to-day operations (outside of standards and regulation) and will also be expected to approve and provide advice on the RICS business plan; review any proposed changes to RICS constitutional documents, including any changes to the Royal Charter, which was also recommended in the review; collaborate effectively with other key governance bodies to further the purpose of the institution for the public advantage; and demonstrate a keen interest in key areas that affect the profession. The director general, who can come from outside the sector, will be responsible for leading the strategy and business plan for the institution, leading the executive team and occupying a seat on the RICS board. Applications close on 21 October.   To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@eg.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @EGPropertyNews Photo © EG