Proud to wear the badge
Qualification to become a Chartered Surveyor and a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a badge of professionalism that I and my colleagues at Scrivener Tibbatts are very proud of and strived hard to achieve.
It’s an interesting and rewarding career and I’m pleased to report becoming every more accessible to people of diverse backgrounds, writes Zah Azeem, Partner at Scrivener Tibbatts.
It’s fair to say though that Sean Tompkins, the Chief Executive of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), is facing the biggest governance crisis of his 11-year reign. As Property Week reported, “The 152-year-old institution has been in turmoil since allegations in the Sunday Times last year that four directors were dismissed in 2019 for raising the alarm over a 2018 BDO financial report. The story sparked a governance crisis and then a full-blown existential one as members clamoured to voice wider concerns about how RICS is run and the people who run it.
“At the end of January, RICS bowed to industry pressure and announced plans for two reviews, one of which is being overseen by independent QC Peter Oldham, who is investigating the events that led to the dismissal of four non-executive directors. The other review is a broader probe into the “purpose and relevance of RICS in 2021 and beyond”, with RICS officially kicking off a global consultation last week.”
The magazine gave Mr Tompkins a wide ranging earlier this month. But the sections that particularly interested me were his comments about surveying as a profession:
“I was brought in to help globalise the profession. That’s what I was recruited to do. I know some people don’t agree with that but that’s what I was asked to come and do and I’m very pleased about how globally respected this profession is and how connected it is to some of the critical instruments of the globe.
“I’m very proud of the advances we’ve made on diversity and inclusion. Between 1868 and 2014, we never had a female president. We’ve had three female presidents in the last six years. I’m proud we’ve been able to encourage and create the environment where people have been willing to put themselves forward and take on a leadership role. I’m proud 11% of our apprentices are now from the BAME community – I wouldn’t have been having any of those conversations 11 years ago.
“I’m also proud that in a crisis year we had one of the biggest growths in the new trainees to this profession. We had 8,000 trainees and apprentices join even in a year of crisis – I’m talking a pandemic. I’m proud the future generations are still wanting to be part of a profession that they would value and they would see status in.”
You can read the whole of long and interesting interview here.
If you would like to discuss something related to a property valuation here in Wimbledon please contact Zah via email at zah@scrivenertibbatts.co.uk or call 020 8947 7040.
