RICS Matrics Feature

I started work in London at the start of the new Millennium. My friends and family were all based in the South West and the prospect of creating a new life was, frankly, quite intimidating.

A colleague mentioned RICS Matrics, and I’m sure I was not alone in checking that it wasn’t a fan club for the recent blockbuster starring Keanu Reeves! I joined RICS Matrics soon afterwards and have remained involved ever since. Which puts paid to the other myth – that it only caters for very young surveyors! Over the past fourteen years I have benefitted from the organisation’s professional networks and received some incredible support from other members, particularly at the time I decided to set-up my own business.

However, and I know this is a common theme across all 44 groups reporting into the UK board, nothing has been of greater value than the friendships I have made along the way. RICS Matrics has defined my time working as a surveyor in London, and has provided a consistent thread during the constant changes in my professional and personal lives. As a result, it is a genuine honour to take the Chair this year, and I see this as a real opportunity to give something back to an organisation that feels less like a professional body and more like an extended family. For those of you new to RICS Matrics, our formal role is to provide a voice back to the RICS.

This provides a collective representation for young surveyors, ensuring that the Institution represents our interests and remains relevant to our needs. But our role and responsibilities stretch much further than that. We are here to support, develop and nurture our members. Doing so requires a huge amount of input from you. This is a place that is only as effective and helpful as the people within it. The more you can put in, from sitting on committees, to meeting new people and organising events, the more we will all benefit.

Sadly, it goes without saying that as well as great people, we also need funds. Events are our lifeblood, but only a few are grant funded. We are lucky enough to have some generous sponsors, and we are always on the lookout for more. So please do let me know if you have an idea for an event, or a contact who may be worth pursuing to help us put it on.

In the meantime, I would like to thank our committee members for all their hard work, those of you who have visited school and universities to spread the word, and Nicola for leaving us in such great shape after her tenure as Chairman last year. I am hugely looking forward to the year ahead. Not just to the events and meetings, but also to responding to the challenge of invigorating and growing RICS Matrics and adapting to these evermore regulated times.

Ultimately, we need to remain relevant, ensuring that all the fun we will undoubtedly share in the year ahead is coupled with real progress.

Julian Davies
London RICS Matrics Chair 2014-2015
julian@earlkendrick.com

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