RICS in the North East

Andrew Milnes MRICS, BSc, NECReg, Chair

Senior Director, Identity Consult

Andrew is a Senior Director at Identity Consult and heads up the North East region. He is an award-winning Project Manager and has overseen the delivery of significant developments across the region. Andrew came to the Northeast in 2001 to study, where he graduated in 2005 from Northumbria University with a Building Design Management degree. He joined Morgan Sindall Construction and worked his way up through the business, before joining Identity Consult in 2013 where he has remained since. Andrew is passionate around creating a sustainable industry for the future, promoting the link between education and the world of work, ultimately enabling opportunities for generations to come.

Holly Doughney MRICS

Associate Director, Gleeds Cost Management Ltd

Holly is an Associate Director of Cost Management at Gleeds with over 12 years industry experience in the UAE and the UK. She has worked across many sectors of the industry, working extensively with commercial developers, and public and private clients across the UK and Europe. Holly is an ardent supporter of collaborative and innovative thinking and is the Gleeds Champion in the use of CostX and undertakes training across the UK, Europe and worldwide. She is an RICS APC assessor and Chair as well as an internal mentor at Gleeds. Holly is also passionate about mentoring those in need in the wider construction industry whether this be through school, college and the PlanBee programme or students at university who do not have RICS councillors at their current places of work.

Mark Doherty MRICS, NEC4 PM

Managing Director, Identity Consult

Mark is Managing Director of Identity Consult, an independent development and construction consultancy based in the North East. Mark was one of the founding members when the practice was formed back in 2006 and specialises in the residential, healthcare and commercial sectors. Mark joined the board in 2024 and is passionate about attracting new professionals into the industry, is an internal & external APC Councillor and has a desire to drive efficiency through the use of technology.

Connor Penman MRICS, NEC4 PM

Senior Cost Manager, Turner & Townsend

Connor is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor & Accredited NEC4 ECC Project Manager who specialises in the delivery of major infrastructure. He’s worked on a number of high profile projects in both the UK and Scandinavia, currently supporting the Environment Agency as their Commercial Services Manager for the North East & Yorkshire.

Laura Frost MRICS

Senior Quantity Surveyor and Project Manager, Turner & Townsend

Laura is a Chartered Senior Quantity Surveyor & accredited NEC4 ECC Project Manager at Turner & Townsend with over 11 years experience in the UK Construction Industry. Working with key clients on high profile schemes across the region, Laura has built an extensive network, working with both public and private clients. She is an APC assessor and a huge advocate for those entering the industry and aims to provide support and resources for those in their early careers to shape their development. She is also keenly focussed on ED&I, specifically on neurodivergence within the workplace and the creation of equity within the workplace.

Jane Loxley MRICS, PG HEP FHEA

Assistant Professor, Real Estate, Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University

Lucy Fisher

Lucy is a Chartered Building Surveyor with over 15 years of experience in the construction industry, delivering technically informed consultancy services across the Northeast, the wider UK, and Europe. She has acted as a trusted advisor to both public and private sector clients across the region. Lucy is passionate about developing the next generation of professionals. She is an APC Assessor, mentor, and counsellor, maintaining strong links with Northumbria University through guest lecturing and industry engagement. A committed advocate for equality, diversity, and inclusion in the built environment, Lucy sits on the committees of NAWIC Tees Valley and Women in Property North East, championing the role of women in surveying and the wider construction industry.

Jane Loxley

Jane joined the RICS North East Regional Board in January 2023, bringing nearly three decades of experience in the property sector, including 24 years as a Chartered Surveyor. She is the Employer Engagement Lead for the School of Architecture and Built Environment at Northumbria University, where she has worked since 2011 as an Assistant Professor, mainly lecturing on the Real Estate degree. With a background in Office Agency, this passion has extended into her academic research as she is due to submit her PhD, which examines employee experience and hybrid working within the office sector, offering fresh insight into one of the most significant shifts in modern working practice. At Northumbria, Jane leads on building relationships between the University and the property industry, working closely with employers to deliver placements, graduate opportunities, and curriculum co-design. She is driven by a commitment to getting students into employment and supporting them on their journey to becoming Chartered Surveyors, and through her role on the Board she is dedicated to strengthening the connection between academia and practice and championing the next generation of surveying talent.