In a recent interview for RICS Business we asked new President David Tuffin FRICS about his views on the profession and his aims during his year as RICS President. 

This is what he said.

Q. What are your aims for the year ahead?
I would like the institution’s membership to pool its expertise, becoming a positive agent for change on issues crucial to the profession.

One such issue is sustainability; another is ensuring that the visual quality of building design is matched by the quality of practical design underlying it.

To help achieve this, I would like the RICS to take a bold approach towards raising its public profile, engage its members and promote itself to the profession as an inclusive and dynamic organisation.

Q. You mention sustainability and visual design as two priorities – do you think these can co-exist without excessive costs?
Good building design in terms of visual quality already exists. What I'd like to encourage is ensuring that aesthetic quality is matched in all cases by sound, practical design and detailing that uses materials that increase the life expectancy of components and the buildings themselves.

Unnecessary repair and maintenance could easily be reduced by good building design and will save money, resources and energy throughout the life cycle of the building.

Poor design to match an inadequate budget is false economy and contrary to the principles of sustainability.

Q. And what plans do you have to help RICS to raise its public profile?
I simply want to build further on the huge advances in our profile that RICS has made over the last few years.

Members and staff have worked together to achieve this success and members have signalled their approval by acting as spokespeople for RICS to ensure that what we have to say is clearly received by our markets and those organisations with which we would like to engage.

Pride in being a Chartered Surveyor is widespread and our international agenda is ensuring that our profile raising produces tangible results around the world for the benefit of RICS, its members and the public interest that our Royal Charter requires us to serve.

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing RICS members over the next 12 months?
They will be many and varied, but I have no doubt about our ability to cope with any situations that arise.

We all need to be self confident in the face of these challenges in order to prevent them becoming self-fulfilling prophecies - such as talking down the property investment markets simply because we've enjoyed an unprecedented good run since 1992 and concluding that it's bound to end sometime.

One of our real challenges is how we attract the new people we need to enter our profession. We won't reduce standards and all professions are fishing in the same pond.

Q. You take over the Presidency just as the RICS has taken on a new regulatory regime. What do you see as the positive benefits of this to the surveying profession?
The new regime is very important to RICS and its members because it demonstrates that we are ahead of the game as regards good governance and better regulation and fully capable of ensuring our members are properly regulated in order to retain and enhance the confidence of the public and our markets.

From a practical viewpoint it will also cut unnecessary administrative red tape and the new rules are designed to assist members in achieving compliance in the first instance, instead of simply punishing those who inadvertently transgress.

Q. What are your interests away from work and RICS?
These primarily involve my family, who I'm very proud of. My daughter is a deputy head teacher and my son is a marine geophysicist with an oil company.

Pastimes include shooting, watching rugby and convincing my wife that there really is a purpose to fishing!

Ask the President
Do you have any questions for the new President? If you do, please email RICS Business at e editor@atompublishing.co.uk and we will pass them on.

David Tuffin will have a monthly President’s Column in RICS Business from next month.