Meet the team

RICS' president is elected annually and is in office from July to June.  

See Lian Ong KMN, BSc (Hons), PPISM, FISM, FRICS, ICECA
RICS President 2011-2012

See Lian Ong was inaugurated as the 130th President of RICS on 04 July 2011. His inauguration is a historic event as he is the first non-British President in the 143 year history of RICS. He has also served as Chair of RICS Asia Board for over 5 years (July 2005 – November 2010). 

See Lian has an illustrious career spanning more than 38 years in both the public and private sectors of the construction industry. He has recently retired as Executive Director / Partner of Davis Langdon & Seah (Malaysia) Pte. Ltd. and Managing Director of DLS Management (Malaysia) Pte. Ltd.

He is Past Chairman of the Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors, PAQS (2003 - 2005) and Past President of the Institution of Surveyors Malaysia, ISM (2003 - 2004). He is a Fellow member of the Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (ISM), a Registered Quantity Surveyor with the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia and an Accredited Mediator with the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB).

See Lian is a much sought after speaker and he has presented numerous papers at various international conferences. In recognition of his vast contributions to the profession and the property and construction industry, he was awarded the KMN (2003), PAQS Medal (2007), “Malaysian Surveyor of the Year” Award (2008) and ICEC Award of Appreciation (2008). 

RICS President Inaugural Speech - 05 July 2011

Alan Collett BSc FRICS
RICS President Elect 2011-2012

Alan was appointed RICS President Elect on 04 July 2011. Alan is Consultant to Allsop LLP and Chairman of Allsop Residential Investment Management, having joined Allsop & Co from the College of Estate Management in 1972. He was a Senior Partner from 1996-2006.

Alan has worked in private practice dealing with residential and mixed use investment, valuation, development and agency and has also acted as a Fixed Charge Receiver and Expert Witness.

Alan is also Director at Consortium Investment Management Ltd; Honorary Fellow and member of the Board at the College of Estate Management; Member of Securities Institute and Investment Property Forum; Chairman of BPF Residential Committee and member of the RICS Communication Board.

The son of, and the father of Chartered Surveyors, he is passionate about the career opportunities that are open to people throughout the world in land, property and construction. In his personal time he enjoys skiing, motor racing and shooting.

Michael Newey BSc FRICS FCIH MAHI
RICS Senior Vice President 2011-2012

Michael was appointed RICS Senior Vice President on 04 July 2011.

Michael is the Group Chief Executive of Broadland Housing Group based in Norwich, UK. Broadland is a social enterprise group, including a not for profit landlord owning 4,800 homes in Norfolk and North Suffolk; a training, employment and support services charity; and a residential developer. 

In late 2008, Michael undertook a three month secondment as a Special Adviser to the Minister of Housing in Victoria, Australia. During this time he focussed on ways of increasing capacity in the community housing sector. He has been a regular visitor to the Australian affordable housing sector since 2004, working with both government and housing providers.

Before joining Broadland, Michael was the Executive Director of Anglia Housing Group and before that the Group Development Director of Flagship Housing, which he joined in 1997. Prior to 1997 Michael was in private practice working for Prall Champion and Prall in Dartford and both Richard Ellis and Savills in Central London.

Michael graduated from Portsmouth Polytechnic in 1986 with a degree in Urban Land Administration. As well as being a Chartered Surveyor, Michael is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing and a Member of the Australasian Housing Institute. 

Chris Fossick BSc MBA FRICS
RICS Vice President 2011-2012

Chris was elected RICS Vice President during Governing Council in March 2011 and was officially appointed on 04 July 2011.

Since July 2006, Chris has been the Managing Director, Singapore and South East Asia, for Jones Lang LaSalle. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Estate Management from the University of Glamorgan, Chris launched his career at Barclays Bank in London more than 25 years ago, joining a team responsible for the property management of the bank’s real estate portfolio; he was also involved in the relocation of Barclays Investment Banking Division’s headquarters in 1985.

Following his time at Barclays, Chris joined real estate consultant Savills, working as part of the central London agency team, in the City of London and West End offices. During this period, Chris was involved in the planning and leasing of the iconic Canary Wharf development in London Docklands. Chris moved to Asia in 1989, joining CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) as part of, and later leading the Singapore and Asia office leasing teams. 

Following this, he transferred to Tokyo as President and CEO of CBRE Japan, from 2003 to July 2006, building the business into one of their largest in Asia Pacific and becoming widely recognised as an industry leader in Japan’s real estate market. He was a member of the RICS Shadow Communication Board from 2003 to 2009.

Louise Brooke-Smith BSc (Hons) DipTP FRICS MRTPI
RICS Vice President 2011-2012

Louise was elected RICS Vice President during Governing Council in March 2011 and was officially appointed on 04 July 2011.

A qualified Urban Land Economist and Town Planner, Louise has gained a wealth of experience in planning and development in public and private sectors both in the UK and overseas. Her previous roles include: Senior Planning Surveyor at Debenham Tewson Cheshire (now part of DTZ); Development Surveyor at Birmingham City Council; and Estates Officer at Coventry City Council.

Louise is founder and Director of Brooke Smith Planning Consultants Ltd, which has offered professional advice on town planning, land use and development matters to blue chip clients across the UK since 1994. Additionally, Louise has been retained as a Visiting Lecturer at various academic institutions and is regularly invited to speak at conferences and seminars across the UK and Europe on planning matters. Louise has also worked for the UN and other NGOs on a number of projects across Africa and India.

Within the RICS, Louise has been a member of the West Midlands Regional Board since the early 1990’s (elected as Branch Chairman for the 1999/2000 session), and represented the RICS on the National Planning Forum between 1989 and 2002 where she held the position of Vice Chairman. 

Louise is currently a Commissioner for the RICS Disaster Management Commission and regularly represents the RICS at the UNOCHA / World Economic Forum (WEF) Humanitarian Relief Initiative programme in Geneva.

Martin Brühl BSc (Hons) FRICS
RICS Vice President 2011-2012

Martin was elected RICS Vice President during Governing Council in March 2011 and was officially appointed on 04 July 2011.

Martin is Managing Partner of Cushman & Wakefield in Germany. He is a member of their European Board and oversees the Firm’s activities in the Nordic region. Martin holds a German banking diploma and a degree in Property Valuation & Finance from City University Business School. He has broad experience in valuing real estate around the globe and is recognised as a leading figure in the German property industry.

Within the RICS, Martin has extensive experience as a former member of RICS Deutschland Board from 1997-2002 and as a member of the RICS Valuation Faculty Board from 2000-2001. He served as adviser to RICS President Jonathan Harris regarding the recognition of the HypZert qualification and TechRICS membership.

Since becoming a Chartered Surveyor in 1988, Martin has represented the RICS as an ambassador at industry conferences in Brazil, Poland and Austria. He has also presented to EU officials in Brussels and promoted the RICS model of professional self-regulation to committees of the United Nations in Geneva.

Robert P Mahoney FRICS FBCartS
RICS Honorary Secretary

Robert was appointed RICS Honorary Secretary in July 2010.

Rob Mahoney was acknowledged as one of the most experienced independent GIS consultants in Europe and was formally Principal of MahGeo with over 25 years experience.

He was formally the UK delegate to Féderation Internationale des Géomètres (FIG) Commission 3; former Vice President of Comité de Liaison des Géomètres Européens (CLGE) and former member of UK Governments Geographic Information Panel under the direction of the Deputy Prime Minister and has represented RICS at the World Bank in Washington.

Rob is also a Fellow of the British Cartographic Society and is an accomplished speaker and lecturer having presented over 40 papers. Within RICS he successfully held the position of Chair for the Geomatics Professional Group, the Shadow Knowledge Board and subsequently Chair of the Knowledge Board and was also a member of the Management Board prior to his election as Honorary Secretary. He is the current Chair of the Nominations Commitee. 

Bill Gater FRICS ACIArb
RICS Honorary Treasurer

Bill was elected RICS Honorary Treasurer during Governing Council in March and took up post on 04 July 2011.

Bill Gater has over 35 years experience as a Chartered Surveyor in the UK Public and Private sector. He was a company director / partner in a firm of Chartered Surveyors for 25 years. He is an accredited mediator and has been a member of the Residential Property Tribunal, appointed by the Secretary of State, for over 15 years.

Within the RICS Bill has served in Governance from the beginning of the Agenda for Change in 1999, on International Governing Council, as a member of the Strategy and Resources Board and latterly the Audit Committee. As a former Elected Whole Membership representative on International Governing Council, he has maintained strong contacts with members around the world.