Martin Samworth has been appointed to chair the new Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Board.

Samworth has experience in real estate and the built environment spanning nearly 40 years, working in the UK and in broad international roles, leading cultural change and successful business transformations.

He has worked at the highest levels across all real estate sectors with developers, investors and occupiers, and has leadership and management experience of both the markets side of the industry and the professional and advisory side – this including valuations, property management, facilities management and construction. This experience has covered the running of large multifaceted organisations through to specialist start-ups.

RICS says that Samworth has a passion for attracting new and diverse talent into the profession, as well as promoting leadership that supports progression for everyone within the industry, and sits on the advisory council for Real Estate Balance Limited (REBL), the real estate member body campaigning for diversity and inclusion.

Samworth said: “RICS is a broadly based Institution that must be forward thinking with a clear identity and an authoritative voice.  It should be bold and passionate, ambitious and challenging, and must speak out positively to influence the issues that matter. I have always loved being involved in something that touches everyone’s lives, as property does.

“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.”

“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’m 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.”

The new RICS Board is a key recommendation from this year’s Bichard RICS Review. It 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.

Harriet Kemp, chair of the appointments panel and co-chair of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, added: “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.”

Samworth started his real estate career at CBRE as a graduate and assistant surveyor in Investment, before qualifying as a chartered surveyor. While working at CBRE until 2020, Samworth held positions including head of investment and MD of commercial Markets, MD of the UK business, and CEO and then Chairman of CBRE’s Advisory Business across APAC and EMEA.

Following his retirement from CBRE at the end of 2020, Samworth has taken up a small number of chair and NED roles in PropTech, Exec Search, and property investment and development companies.