On January 1st, 2025, Justin Sullivan FRICS became the 143rd President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Justin is the founder and CEO of Adair, which has provided expert construction consultancy services globally for over thirty years.
As consistently demonstrated in the RICS Construction market survey, and highlighted by our professionals and Government, the industry has an acute skills shortage. Skills and encouraging the next generation into the profession will therefore be one of his key focus areas for 2025.
Justin is passionate about developing the next generation of surveyors and recognises the challenges that ongoing skills shortages across the globe present to the profession and the built environment as a whole. He is also keen to maintain and expand recognition of the profession's positive impact on society at large, and his work over the next twelve months will reflect these interests.
RICS President, Justin Sullivan, said: "It is an enormous honour to serve as President for an organisation which has supported and promoted the surveying profession for over 150 years. Whilst RICS certainly has an incredible history, my eyes are firmly set on the future, and particularly the next generation of surveyors.
"Across the globe, demand for built environment professionals of all specialisms is white hot, and opportunities for the next generation are profound. We need to get more young people considering and entering surveying as a career. The UK faces many challenges - we need to build more homes, but face skills shortages which threaten to derail these plans. Similarly, surveyors and other built environment professionals are in short supply across the globe, most acutely in regions where construction is booming, such as the Middle East. We must also develop an increasingly welcoming profession which is open to people of all backgrounds and identities - a crucial cornerstone for getting more youth into the profession.
"There is much work to be done, and I look forward to the challenge. I also want to congratulate Tina Paillet for her excellent work as President in 2024, which saw RICS expand its engagement in the circular economy and decarbonisation. I wish her continued success for the future."
Outgoing RICS President, Tina Paillet, said: "I am delighted to see Justin Sullivan take up the reins of the RICS Presidency for 2025. Being RICS President is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to positively influence the profession on the world stage, and meet with, listen to, and implement the needs of our members across every global region.
"The built environment plays a crucial role in humanity's future, particularly with combating climate change and achieving Net Zero through sustainable development and environmentally friendly processes. The industry also faces profound skills shortages across all global regions, which is something I know Justin is passionate about tackling. I wish him all the best for his time as RICS President in 2025."
RICS Fellow Nicholas Maclean becomes President Elect following his service as Senior Vice President in 2024.
