RICS in Yorkshire & Humber

Mike Ward FRICS, FCABE, FAPM, FICWCI, MCIOB, MIoR, CEnv, CMgr FCMI, Chair

Chartered Building Surveyor and Chartered Project Management Surveyor, Portview

Mike is a Chartered Building Surveyor and Chartered Project Management Surveyor employed by fit-out contractor, Portview. Mike's journey in construction began as a joiner, where he started to develop a hands-on understanding of the built environment, transitioning into roles in quantity surveying and construction management, acquiring diverse skills along the way. Mike later joined Tesco and discovered his passion for building surveying, and since then, has never looked back. Driven by a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement, Mike is deeply invested in nurturing future talent within the industry. Actively engaging with various professional bodies, leveraging his knowledge and experience to mentor and support emerging professionals. He is passionate about quality in the built environment and tries to instill a ‘right first time’ approach.

Sarah Smith FRICS

Sarah is a Chartered Surveyor specialising in Residential Investment and Development, Valuation and Consultancy. She is passionate about the industry, positively promoting the profession and supporting student members. Working as a Regional Board Member allows her to share experience and engage with the wider profession to develop, and encourage positive change, for existing and future members.

Matt Summerhill MRICS

I joined the Regional Board having been a member for over 15 years. I have a passion for teamwork, nurturing talent and inclusivity to create the best environments for success. As someone who has several leadership roles both professionally and in my personal life, I believe that I can bring those skills to the Regional Board to support its short, medium and longer term ambitions. With my professional role being county wide, I believe that I can use my experience to connect with members across our geography and engage with their different needs.

Paul Hallam BSc MRICS FHEA

Course Director - Real Estate & Property Management, Leeds Beckett University

Paul is the Course Director for both the BSc (Hons) and MSc Real Estate and Property Management RICS-accredited degrees at Leeds Beckett University.

Olayiwola Oladiran, PhD, MRICS, FHEA

Lecturer in Real Estate, University of Sheffield

Olayiwola Oladiran is currently a Lecturer in Real Estate at the University of Sheffield, Lead of Shef.AI Urban Interest Group and Co Lead of the Shef.AI Innovation and Pedagogy Interest Groups. He is also the Co Founder of Bloomshill. He holds a PhD in Real Estate Economics, an MSc in International Real Estate Investment and Finance, and a BTech in Estate Management. He is an RICS Chartered Surveyor (MRICS) and a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA). He won the UK PropTech Association Special Achievement Award in 2022 and won the University College of Estate Management Harold Samuel Research Prize in 2020. Olayiwola is enthusiastic about enhancing the services and operations within the real estate sector through innovation and digital technology.

Ellen Atkin, BA (Hons), PGDipSurv, MRICS

Head of Local and Devolved Government, District Valuer Service (DVS), Valuation Office (VO)

Ellen Atkin is a Chartered Surveyor with over 13 years cross sector experience, currently working as Head of Local and Devolved Government within HMRC’s District Valuer Services (DVS). The DVS is the specialist property arm of the Valuation Office (VO) providing independent, impartial, valuation and professional property advice across the public sector, where she has gained invaluable knowledge and experience. Her technical expertise is in valuation, regeneration and development work and she has worked on several high-profile development schemes across Yorkshire and the North East. Ellen prides herself on her ability to inspire and guide teams towards achieving operational objectives and goals. In her current role, Ellen is keen to develop the VO’s skills in sustainability in the natural and built environment. To support this aim, last year Ellen returned to university to study a master’s degree in this area. Beyond her professional endeavours, she is committed to fostering collaboration and excellence within the industry and is keen to engage and shape the future of the surveying profession.

John Berry IRRV (Hons), MRICS

Director Property Professional Services, Valuation Office

John is the Director of Property Professional Services within the Chief Valuer Group of the Valuation Office. He is responsible for legal, technical, and professional policy guidance for all VO business streams. His remit also covers Valuation Assurance, and he is currently the Head of the Surveying Profession in the Agency, which encompasses oversight of surveyor recruitment and the Agency’s surveyor pipeline covering graduates, apprentices and placement students. John joined the VO in 1986 and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1992 through the Agency’s Cadet Valuer route. He has had several leadership roles across the Agency before taking up his current role in October 2020. Born in Manchester, John lives in the Peak District, and is a lover of hiking and the outdoors.

Jonathan Cooper, MRICS

Head of Industrial, Commercial and Crown, Valuation Office

Jonathan is passionate about attracting and inspiring future generations towards RICS qualification. His surveying career has provided him with many wonderful opportunities which have seen him visit, value and learn about some of the most iconic properties in the UK, whilst giving him the chance to appear as an Expert Witness at the Royal Courts of Justice. Outside of work, he is a keen cyclist who can often be found touring the mountains of southern Spain by bike, or practicing his Spanish in a bar with a calimocho (red wine and cola) in hand.

Mandy Spenceley

Mandy Spenceley has over 35 years of experience in property, spanning roles in Local Authorities, airports, utilities, telecoms, and residential survey and valuation across the UK. For the past 10 years, she has led regional and national surveyor teams and is passionate about authentic people-centric culture. She founded Ostara Insights, a consultancy focusing on aligning surveying business strategy, culture, and DEI. An experienced trainer and RICS assessor, Mandy is an ardent advocate for neurodivergent employees, raising awareness and removing stigma. She serves on the RICS Yorkshire and Humber Board and is about to embark on a Masters in Occupational Psychology.

Jordan Payler MRICS

Jordan is a Chartered Surveyor at Allsop in the Residential Investment team, specialising in the sale and acquisition of PRS blocks of apartments and portfolios of houses across the northern regions, with over eight years’ experience. She is passionate about new member and student / graduate engagement with the RICS, particularly having started her career as a Degree Apprentice. She looks forward to introducing an agency perspective to the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Board, as well as bringing her past experience with several networking and outreach groups in Leeds to the Board.

Steven Reynolds MRICS

Steven Reynolds MRICS is a Chartered Building Surveyor and business leader with more than 25 years of experience in the built environment. Born and bred in Sheffield and a proud Yorkshireman, he has built a successful career spanning building surveying, asset management, consultancy leadership and strategic advisory services, progressing from an architectural technician apprentice to senior executive leadership roles within the property and construction sector. Steven is Founder and Managing Director of a newly formed SME building consultancy practice, leading multidisciplinary teams that help clients make better-informed decisions about their built assets through better-connected data and people. Prior to his current role, he spent more than 15 years with Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), progressing from Chartered Building Surveyor to Partner. During this time, he led and grew the Yorkshire Building Surveying team from around 10 professionals to more than 60 people, creating one of the largest and most successful regional teams within the business. He was subsequently appointed Head of Built Asset Consultancy UK & Europe, where he led a multidisciplinary team of over 250 professionals and was responsible for strategy, governance, growth and digital transformation across the consultancy’s advisory services Recognised for his expertise in building consultancy, asset intelligence and data-driven decision-making, Steven is passionate about helping organisations unlock greater value from their property portfolios through technology, digital solutions and structured asset data. He also contributes to the profession through his role on the RICS Design & Specification Expert Working Group and his longstanding support of APC candidates as an APC Counsellor.