Update from Justin Young, RICS CEO – January 2026

As we move into the new year, it’s a good time to reflect on our recent achievements and ready ourselves for what lies ahead. We have spent the last couple of years laying strong foundations that help our profession adapt and thrive. We have advanced technical knowledge, supported our membership with the professional skills needed in their daily practice, and played an increasingly influential role in policy discussions, all in our commitment to upholding the public interest. In 2026 we're taking that progress further with better tools, closer engagement and stronger localised support so our members continue to meet the evolving needs of the built and natural environment.

The new year also marked a significant milestone as we welcomed Nick Maclean as the 144th RICS President. Having worked in various international markets, Nick brings a global perspective which reflects our membership. His focus areas of closing the skills gap, championing lifelong learning, promoting best practices in sustainability, and embracing new technologies to meet the profession’s needs, sit in close alignment with our long-term vision. Alongside President Elect Maureen Ehrenberg FRICS, based in the Americas, and Senior Vice President Susanne Eickermann-Riepe FRICS, based in Europe, our Presidential team represents our membership across global markets, bringing diverse experience and insight to guide our direction.

Staying close to our members is essential to everything we do. This includes bringing back our Shaping the Future roadshow, now in its third year. Your input at these events has directly shaped what we prioritise and deliver what matters most to you locally. We will share more information on registration in the next few months.

Delivering greater value to our members has been a key goal for us and a part of this is transforming the way you interact with RICS. To create better experiences and better value, we needed better tools. The new CPD app, launching next month, is designed to do that by simplifying how you manage your professional development.

Central to our work in the public interest is continuing to develop standards and guidance that set our members apart in meeting the needs of the market. Your sector and professional expertise is vital in shaping these.

A good example of this is our consultation on the changes to the Home Survey Standard which many of you contributed to. We're now working through all the responses with the author and Expert Group, making sure we consider each piece of feedback carefully before finalising the standard and sharing further updates of its implementation.

We're also asking for your input on another important piece of work, the proposed RICS Residential stock condition survey code of practice. This guide provides clear advice and outlines best practices for undertaking stock condition surveys in the housing sector, strengthening market confidence and ensuring tenants, funders, and regulators can trust the results.

Looking at the profession as a whole, 2026 will see us focus even more on closing the skills gap, from encouraging young people to consider a career in surveying, and delivering world-class training and resources for established professionals, to developing new pathways in sustainability, retrofit, data and AI to align with emerging career paths and specialisms. Last year we collected expressions of interest for the Residential Retrofit Surveying and Sustainability Advisory pathways, and the successful candidates are now moving into the pilot assessment stage, while the Data Analytics and Intelligence pathway will be opening for expressions of interest soon.

Alongside these initiatives, this year, we'll also continue to evolve our governance, ensuring we remain robust and transparent, strengthen our regional support to members globally and position ourselves at the centre of policy conversations.

I have talked to you a great deal since my arrival at RICS in 2023 about how we are transforming the organisation. While there is still more to be done, particularly in the areas of knowledge, training and broadening access into the profession, we now have a solid platform from which to accelerate the transformation. We are entering 2026 poised and ready to harness the full strength of RICS and its membership to shape a better built and natural environment.