Attracting a diverse next generation

Genuine, impactful and long-lasting change takes time and requires a solid foundation of data, policy and practice frameworks for support. This is where RICS has focused its attention over the past year for DEI.

Since the appointment of Louise Brooke-Smith OBE FRICS as RICS board member with specific responsibility for the DEI portfolio, she has supported and enabled the DEI Team to prioritise work in these core areas, along with increased events, campaigns and sponsorships. 

Below is a summary of what was accomplished in 2023 and what to expect in 2024.

Data and insights

As part of an MoU with five other built environment professional bodies focused on improving DEI in the industry, RICS has worked collaboratively to deliver actions from an agreed plan, prioritising the three key areas of data collection, education to industry pipelines, and professional competency. We will report on our research into the education to industry pipeline in the coming year.

As part of the MoU agreement, RICS started collecting membership data in the UK and Ireland in October 2022, as the organisation had historically only collected gender and age data.

Though a strategic communications campaign took place throughout the year explaining the importance of this data for establishing benchmarks and enabling informed target setting, response rates remain too low for the datasets to be viable for benchmarking and reporting.

We will continue to engage the membership to increase response rates over the coming year. We need this basic data to ensure our ongoing DEI strategy is shaped by accurate, meaningful information.

View the MoU Strategic communications campaign

In an effort to showcase how data can be leveraged effectively to drive change, we launched RICS’ first survey focused on the make-up and experiences of women in the global profession in 2022. Combining the survey results with general demographic data, in July we delivered RICS’ first-ever Women in Surveying insight report .

This report pinpointed areas of concern and the changes women would like to see moving forward.

We launched a follow-up survey in September 2023, and will launch similar surveys across other demographic areas in the coming years, to reflect the make-up and experiences of underrepresented groups within the profession and priority areas that must be addressed to create more equitable and inclusive workplaces for all in our industry.

Finally, to establish stronger layers of comparable data to shape more accurate and sector-specific targets and objectives, we have partnered with Action Sustainability to bring RICS’ member firms into their large-scale DEI survey for built environment organisations.

Women in Surveying insight report View the survey results

We will encourage and support more RICS firms in participating in this survey, as the benchmark it produces is a valuable tool for all firms looking to make meaningful and impactful changes.

Training and events

Over the course of 2023, we delivered three major DEI events for the surveying profession. These can all be re-watched online.

International Women’s Day: Advancing Inclusion for Women Surveyors Pride in the Built Environment Advancing Racial Equity in the Built Environment

To build stronger relationships, all events were collaborative efforts that elevated the work of industry networks and partners.

The theme throughout all events was ‘engaging allies’, with panel discussions and speakers focused on giving attendees tangible actions they could start implementing both personally and professionally to help shape a more inclusive culture across the industry.

In addition to formal training and events, we also collaborated with industry and DEI experts to deliver 12 RICS podcast episodes focused on DEI topics, ranging from inclusive and accessible design to setting stronger expectations and targets for supply chain, global and legal considerations for implementing DEI initiatives, and more.

We supported external networks by hosting events at RICS headquarters (HQ) to elevate and sponsor their work to improve culture, experience and representation in the profession.

RICS podcast  on DEI topics

This included:

the flagship Association of Muslim Surveyors event, which drew a full house of more than 100 surveyors from multiple regions

Learn more

the flagship Black Girls in Property event for the Land Collective, which focused on educating and inspiring students to consider career opportunities in the built environment

Learn more

the ‘Why Conference’, led by the charity Translucent, aimed at educating leaders and decision makers on the rise in trans hate crime and the importance of the Equality Act 2010

Learn more

RICS was also proud to sponsor the Women of the Future Awards Programme in the UK and Southeast Asia, the Black Professionals in Construction Awards, Black Women in Real Estate’s ‘Phenomenal Women’ campaign, and AbilityRE’s International Day of People with Disabilities event.

Hosting and sponsoring events has enabled us to elevate the voices and experiences of historically marginalised communities within the membership, increase awareness of challenges and opportunities for improving culture and representation, and showcase role models within our membership who can inspire the next generation of talent into the industry.

Through these partnerships, RICS has also built an extensive network of members and experts to help inform our DEI strategy, deliver thought leadership and collaborative insights, and ensure we are meeting the diverse needs of all of our members and the communities they serve.

For CPD, we collaborated with the RICS Products Team to ensure a one-hour DEI course is now included in member CPD support packs for free, and we aim to expand the CPD DEI offering in 2024 by delivering webinars to support the guidance now included in the RICS Rules of Conduct focused on diversity, inclusion and respect.

Policy and practice improvements

During 2023, internal RICS teams have been reviewing processes, practices and policies to identify areas for improvement impacting both internal and external stakeholders.

Through these reviews, we have adopted more inclusive language and content of documents, made adjustments for colleagues and members, improved accessibility, and highlighted and addressed exclusionary and discriminatory behaviours.

Collaborative reviews have been initiated to ensure teams are delivering products, events, assessments and stakeholder engagements that are more representative, inclusive and accessible for all, and we will continue to prioritise work in this area.

Internally, several new employee resource groups were formed through 2023, enabling initiatives to review and provide feedback on internal policies, educate and engage with fellow colleagues on key inclusion topics, and engage with senior leaders to inspire positive changes. For more information, see

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)

Finally, working groups comprised of members and DEI leaders from member firms worked closely with RICS Professional Standards and DEI colleagues over the course of the year to develop guidance and resources to support Rule 4 of the RICS Rules of Conduct focused on diversity, inclusion and respect.

This is the most robust guidance RICS has ever delivered to member firms of all sizes and wider stakeholders around DEI and helps members and firms to
apply inclusive practices, retain diverse talent and provide professional services that meet the needs of their clients.

View Rule 4 Guidance

What to expect in 2024 and beyond

The RICS DEI Team gained capacity with two new managers in January 2024.

This will help support immediate priorities like:

the publication of the RICS DEI Strategy for 2024–2026
the delivery of inclusion guidance through the Rules of Conduct and
the establishment of a DEI leadership forum.

We will also continue our work on research, insight and thought leadership across all demographic areas and will continue collaboration, sponsorships and support for industry networks with increased training and DEI CPD content.