DCS develops national and global footprint [due to Members’ demands!]

(L-R); Uche Obi FRICS, Diane Dumashie FRICS and Bola Abisogun OBE FRICS

The surveying profession has always been on the cusp of change, something new, another wave of evolution. The global ‘agenda for change’ [an RICS initiative in the late 90’s, see here] was discussed again at length at a meeting held at RICS HQ on 11/09/19. The common denominators that were identified during the tri-partite discussion formed the premise of the strategic alliance(s) that have now been forged by three senior, RICS BAME professionals, all Fellows of the RICS.

Founder & Chair of DiverseCity Surveyors ‘DCS’, Bola Abisogun OBE FRICS met with Diane Dumashie FRICS, current holder of a seat at RICS Governing Council and Vice President of FIG and Uche Obi FRICS, an experienced and influential property valuer who had flown into London from the Caribbean. The development of a sustainable DCS presence in both the South West / Bristol Region, the East & West Midlands in the UK was reviewed in addition to the current presence in SouthEast US [Atlanta, Georgia] along with an emerging need in the Cayman Islands, were discussed at a strategic level. Developing an informed solution formed the nucleus of our tri-partite conversation which was squarely focussed on the ongoing development of the professional skills required by many in pursuit of their APC assessment.

Member Contribution to RICS Modus - Talent Issue, Sept 2019

It was generally accepted that the biggest offer from [and attraction to] DCS, is in fact our ability to offer culturally competent professional services to post-graduates and others that aspire to become fully qualified, Chartered members of the surveying profession via the APC process. As the biggest line of enquiry, the increasing demand from many RICS (student) members means that the expectations from the DCS Board is forecasted to increase for the foreseeable future. The newly formed DCS Engagement Committee will service this key revenue stream on behalf of the Board but much of the core DCS offer will continue to be delivered pro-bono as part of our (purpose and) Social Value. Our growing success is testament to the unwavering commitment to date of our [core] leadership team and the unfailing support of the RICS Senior Management Team led by Sean Tompkins, CEO in the UK and Neil Shah, RICS MD in the USA.

The ‘global’ footprint of DCS continues to increase and is currently being ‘championed’ as follows [please click on the links to read up on each ‘Agent for Change’]:

United Kingdom:

London (HQ) – Bola Abisogun OBE FRICS

South West – Diane Dumashie FRICS

East & West Midlands – Learie Gonzalves MRICS

International / Americas:

South East (Atlanta, Georgia) – Bruce Kellogg FRICS

Caribbean (Cayman Islands) – Uche Obi FRICS

International / Africa:

West Africa [ECOWAS]: Currently recruiting

East Africa [Ethiopia / Kenya]: Currently recruiting

As we prepare to hold our AGM at RICS HQ on 21 November 2019, please stay informed and abreast of our developments by signing up to our Newsletter............ we are here to serve YOU!