Entry and Assessment Review, Design, Implementation and Oversight Group
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The Entry and Assessment Review, Design, Implementation and Oversight Group (‘the Implementation Group’) will oversee the successful design, development, and delivery of the transformation of RICS’ education and qualification standards and methodology for the assessment of candidates applying for admission to RICS.
The Implementation Group is established by the Standards and Regulation Board (SRB) as a sub working group and will report to the SRB on the creation of new assessments requirements for aspiring members working in the natural and built environment, and providing the highest quality experience for candidates and stakeholders.
The Implementation Group will begin its three-year term in April 2025 with the recruitment of its Chair and Group members. The Implementation Group will work closely with the RICS staff and other key stakeholders, including the Knowledge and Practice Committee, to carry out its role.
The Implementation Group’s role will include making decisions, recommendations and escalations, ensuring alignment with the entry and assessment procedures and process for grades of membership, and recommending decisions on future entry to the SRB.
The Implementation Group will be responsible for:
- monitoring research and consultation with members and non-members to inform its implementation strategies
- agreeing an implementation plan, to deliver any new SRB and RICS Governing Council approved entry and assessment model
- overseeing effective implementation of the programme, including any qualifications and education standards components of the new entry and assessment model
- reviewing each implementation phase of any new entry and assessment model
- providing guidance and advice to the Executive and/or RICS staff, ensuring that any new entry and assessment model is in line with best practice globally
Chair
Sarah Hutchinson
Non Executive Director, BARBRI Global
With more than three decades of global experience in professional qualifications, Sarah is a respected leader in the design and governance of professional assessments programmes. She currently chairs the Board of Examiners for the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, overseeing assessments for more than 18,000 candidates worldwide annually, and is Chair of the Board of the Association of Costs Lawyers Training. Sarah is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales and brings extensive leadership in legal education and professional development. She is a non-executive director of BARBRI Global, having previously served as its Managing Director. BARBRI provides legal education and training to aspiring and practising lawyers across the UK, US, and internationally - supporting over 1.3 million candidates to date. Her past roles include serving on the Executive Board of the University of Law and holding senior leadership positions with both the International Bar Association and the Law Society of England and Wales. Sarah previously chaired the Entry and Assessment Steering Group, which led the RICS Entry and Assessment Review and developed recommendations for reform.
Members of the Entry and Assessment Review Design, Implementation and Oversight Group
Abigail Field
Abigail Field is an experienced senior leader in professional education and regulation, with over two decades of expertise in qualification reform, assessment strategy, and organisational transformation. She has held senior roles across a range of leading professional membership bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Marketing, CIPD, and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. Abigail has a strong record of driving modern, inclusive approaches to professional entry and accreditation, ensuring accessibility, integrity, and global relevance. She joins the EAIOG committed to supporting RICS in delivering a fair, transparent, and forward-looking education and assessment framework.
David Baber
David has worked in further and higher education for over 25 years. Originally an apprentice he has held senior positions in colleges and work-based learning providers. Internationally, he works as a TVET specialist, advising governments and education institutions on competency-based training, quality assurance, and qualification accreditation. He has been a Further Education and Skills Inspector for over 20 years, specialising in Construction, Engineering and Teacher Education.
Elizabeth Cleaver
Elizabeth Cleaver has over 30 years’ experience in education, spanning academic, leadership, research, and evaluation roles. In 2021, she founded Elizabeth Cleaver Consulting Limited and has worked with a diverse range of clients including universities, sector bodies, charitable foundations, and professional innovation communities. Previously, Liz held senior leadership positions at the University of Hull, UWE Bristol, and Buckinghamshire New University, where her responsibilities included curriculum and portfolio development, quality assurance, teaching and learning enhancement, digital learning, and academic professional development. Earlier in her career, Liz taught and researched sociology at universities with varied missions and histories—Sunderland, Newcastle, Northumbria, Southampton, and Portsmouth—and served as a senior researcher at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), where she led the Department for Education-funded Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study. Liz holds a PhD in Sociology, a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and was awarded Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) and a Personal Chair in Learning and Teaching (UWE Bristol) in recognition of her sustained record of effective pedagogical leadership, scholarship and practice. She is currently Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster, a University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) Associate, and an External Member of the University of Law Academic Standards Committee. Liz was appointed as an Independent Member of the Entry and Assessment Review Design, Implementation & Oversight Group (EARDIOG) in September 2025
Karen Quinton
Karen has extensive experience in digital learning and assessment, primarily within the context of professional qualifications relating to insurance, financial services, accountancy, tax and latterly psychiatry. Her most recent role was Transformation Consultant at the Royal College of Psychiatry where she managed projects to move face to face exams online in 2020, to replatform the eLearning CPD offering and to procure and implement an eportfolio. She also developed an acclaimed National Autism Training Programme for Psychiatrists and the first International Diploma in Older Adults Mental Health. She has governance experience, first as Chair of a multi-academy trust, which she helped
Lisa – Jane Risk MRICS
Lisa-Jane Risk is a Chartered Surveyor with 30 years’ experience working ‘client side’ for owners, occupiers and investors of extensive and complex estates. Her skills lie in working with internal and external stakeholders to generate income and value, designing property solutions which enable wider enterprise goals, and in leading and developing diverse, multi-functional teams. Currently Head of Operations at Places for London and an Independent Governor of Southampton Solent University.
Tina Beale MRICS
Tina Beale is an educator and chartered valuation surveyor who has served in various leadership roles in the Jamaican real estate sector. She currently serves as the Senior Director/Principal of the Real Estate Training Institute at the Real Estate Board, which is Jamaica's real estate regulatory authority. As the Senior Director/Principal she leads with the design and implementation of the training and licensing requirements of real estate professionals in Jamaica. Prior to this, she successfully led the academic accreditation of Jamaica's first real estate undergraduate course of study and has co-authored various publications on matters affecting the Jamaican real estate market and the wider Caribbean region. She is also a doctoral commonwealth scholar, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a certified change management specialist.
