New RICS Chairman for Northern Ireland

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has appointed John Witchell, director of Blakiston Houston Estates, as Northern Ireland chairman for 2003.

Mr Witchell succeeds Mike Smith, chief executive of Titanic Quarter, following election at the RICS NI annual general meeting. He has already pledged to continue to raise the profile of the organisation, to further boost its growing membership and to build upon its current position as one of the leading professional leading bodies in Northern Ireland.

Mr Witchell said: "It is essential that we continue to raise our credibility amongst audiences including politicians, the general public and the business community, and to ensure that our voice is heard in ongoing debates affecting chartered surveying in Northern Ireland.

"We must also continue to proactively forward chartered surveying as a career choice in our schools and universities."

The new chairman's work as a chartered surveyor covers all aspects of rural business and estate management. He also has a keen interest in promoting the conservation of Northern Ireland's biodiversity and has helped Conservation Volunteers and the Woodland Trust with many major projects. He is currently working on a project to establish links with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a bid to promote the global significance of conservation projects in Northern Ireland.

(CL)