HONG KONG, April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Governing Council at its meeting on 28 March 2011 in Berlin made a historical decision. Ong See Lian, the past Chairman of RICS Asia, has become the first Asian member to be elected as the President for 2011-2012. This is the first time in the 143 year history of RICS that a non-British passport holder has been elected to the top position. He will assume the position in July 2011.
The RICS global vision and strategy is set by the 60-strong Governing Council that includes RICS members from all world regions and is chaired by the President.
The officers elected for the 2011-2012 session are:
| President | See Lian Ong (Malaysia - see CV below) |
| President-Elect | Alan Collett Director at Allsop Residential Investment (UK) |
| Senior Vice-President | Michael Newey Group Chief Executive of Broadland Housing Group (UK) |
| Vice-Presidents | Louise Brooke-Smith Director Brooke Smith Planning (UK) |
| Chris Fossick Country Head and Managing Director, South East Asia, Jones Lang Lasalle (Singapore) |
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| Martin Bruhl Managing Partner of Cushman & Wakefield (Germany) |
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| Honorary Treasurer | Bill Gater Consultant Chartered Surveyor |
"I am honored to be given the privilege to serve this leading global professional institution on land, property and the built environment. I look forward to working together with the presidential team towards meeting the aspirations of RICS members and elevating the profile of RICS worldwide," said the incoming President, Ong See Lian.
RICS' Presidential Commitment in Asia
During the first week of April, the RICS presidential team made a historic visit to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand to solicit views from members and stakeholders in ways in which RICS can contribute to the Asian real estate industry, and more importantly to show RICS' commitment to this region. Mr. Robert Peto, the 2010-2011 RICS President, said, "Governing Council has elected a strong line-up for the presidential team which will comprise for the first time an Asian President, a female Vice-President, and vice presidents based in Singapore and Continental Europe. This sends a strong signal that RICS is indeed a global professional organization."
President: See Lian Ong BSc (Hons), FRICS, PPISM, FISM, ICECA
See Lian Ong, was elected as RICS President-Elect for 2010-2011 session. He has previously served as Chairman of the RICS Asia Board from 2005 to 2010. He has more than 38 years of working experience in the public and private sectors of the construction industry. He has recently retired as an Executive Director of Davis Langdon & Seah (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and now serving as a consultant to the firm.
A fellow of both RICS and the Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (ISM), Ong is also a Registered Quantity Surveyor with the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia. In addition, he is an Accredited Mediator with the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB), and has handled mediation and arbitration cases and provided expert witness services.
Ong is the Past Chairman of the Asia Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS) and Past President of ISM. He has also served as a Board member of the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia.
Ong is a much sought after speaker at various conferences internationally. In recognition of his vast contributions to the profession and the property and construction industry, he was awarded KMN by DYMM Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (2003), the PAQS Medal (2007), Malaysian Surveyor of the Year (2008) and ICEC Award of Appreciation (2008).
About RICS & RICS Asia
RICS is the world's leading qualification when it comes to professional standards in land, property and construction.
In a world where more and more people, governments, banks and commercial organisations demand greater certainty of professional standards and ethics, attaining RICS status is the recognised mark of property professionalism.
Over 100,000 property professionals working in the major established and emerging economies of the world have already recognised the importance of securing RICS status by becoming members.
RICS is an independent professional body originally established in the UK by Royal Charter. Since 1868, RICS has been committed to setting and upholding the highest standards of excellence and integrity -- providing impartial, authoritative advice on key issues affecting businesses and society. RICS is a regulator of both its individual members and firms enabling it to maintain the highest standards and providing the basis for unparalleled client confidence in the sector.
The RICS Asia supports a network of over 11,000 individual professionals across the Asia Pacific region with an objective to help develop the property and construction markets in these countries, by introducing professional standards, best practice and international experience. It promotes RICS and its members as the natural advisors on all property matters. It also ensures that services and career development opportunities are provided to members.
The RICS Asia region covers national associations and local groups locating in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, The People's Republic of China and the SAR Hong Kong. It also has members working across the region such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos PDR, Macao, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, The Maldives, The Philippines, Timor East and Vietnam. For more information, please visit: www.ricsasia.org.
Media enquiry, please contact:
RICS Asia Public Relations Representative
Ms Belinda Chan / Ms Polly Tsang
Tel: +852-2372-0090
Fax: +852-2372-0490
Mobile: +852-9379-3045 / +852-6108-5435
Email: belinda@creativegp.com / polly@creativegp.com
