UK & Ireland

UK & Ireland World Regional Board

Chair, Simon Prichard MRICS

Simon was appointed to the Gerald Eve Executive Board in 2007 as Strategy Partner and was appointed Senior Partner in 2015.

For most of his career he has worked in the City, initially with Cable & Wireless Plc and more recently with Wright Oliphant - a subsidiary of Hambros Bank. He is a Chartered Surveyor and has provided Real Estate advice to major corporates including JP Morgan, Carnival PLC, DMGT and Whitbread, as well as major landowners including the Grosvenor Estate, Land Securities and Standard Life.

He sits on the academic board of the University College of Estate Management and is a prominent figure within the property industry.

UK and Ireland World Regional Board members

Christina Hirst, FRICS

UK & Ireland World Regional Board Members

Stephen Ashworth FRICS

Stephen J. Ashworth is Chairman and CEO, joint founder and the major shareholder of Hurstwood Holdings, Arrowmere Capital, Crystal Holdings and Queens Square Capital. With nearly 40 years’ experience working in the commercial and residential property sector with a successful proven track record. Stephen was appointed as Chair of the RICS North West regional board in August 2018, a member of the UK & Ireland World Regional Board and is also a registered mentor for the organisation. Stephen is also involved in a number of charitable organisations and is a Trustee of Destination Florida Children’s Charity.

James Ginley FRICS

James joined e.surv in 2021, as Director of Technical Surveying, from Legal & General where he managed their lending portfolio, having previously held the role of Technical Director at Legal & General Surveying Services. He is a Fellow of the RICS and a member of the Equity Release Council Committee. James is an author of RICS guidance on valuation of new build properties and a regular commentator on the housing market and valuation practices.

Ronan O'Hara FRICS

Ronan is a senior property professional specialising in complex investment initiatives, sustainable development, strategic asset management and leading change. He is Chief Executive for Crown Estate Scotland, a new public corporation focused on delivering investment in property, natural resources, and people to create lasting value for Scotland. In addition, he holds the position of Trustee with the Chartered Institute of Housing and Non-Executive Director with social housing provider Acis Group Ltd. His career has included senior appointments at the University of Cambridge, Northern Ireland’s Strategic Investment Board (SIB), English Heritage, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and Circle Housing Group, amongst others. He holds degrees in Business and Finance, Building Surveying and Environmental Sciences from the Queens University Belfast, the Open University Business School and London Southbank University. As a Chartered Surveyor, he has been privileged to lead major investment programmes, manage and maintain priceless historic estates, deliver digital transformation and drive innovation and growth through some of the UK’s largest and most progressive public sector organisations. He is particularly interested in promoting the value and benefit of non-cognate routes to membership, diversity equality and inclusion and sustainable development.

Sarah Chaudhry MBA FRICS

As member of the UK & Ireland world regional board, Sarah hopes to create a more inclusive profession and represent the UK’s growing minority community, local government and registered providers. Having 25 years corporate real estate experience, Sarah is Director of Surveyor Store Ltd. Sarah is Chair on a charities development board, and an experienced non-Executive Director who has worked for Registered Providers, Local Government and Consultancy. Sarah is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a Management Consultant Surveyor and holds an MBA in Construction and Real Estate and a Post Graduate Diploma in Project Management.

William Leschallas MRICS FAAV FHEA PGCAP PGCMR

William is Staff Governor, Head of Employability and Professional Engagement, Senior Lecturer, and Programme Lead for undergraduate Rural Land Management and Real Estate programmes at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU). He was previously head of the Real Estate and Land Management department. He was a member of the QAA advisory group for Land, Construction, Real Estate and Surveying, reviewing the Subject Benchmark Statement, published in 2024. He joined the RAU in 2018, having spent over 30 years in professional practice. He was a director at Jackson-Stops, and his experience includes rural business, sales, lettings, planning and development, valuation and marketing. William qualified as surveyor in 1989 through the rural pathway, and is a Fellow of the Association of Agricultural Valuers and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He has a passion for education and encouraging more people from all backgrounds to join the exciting world of property, and believes that the relevance of the countryside and built environment to the sustainability agenda has never been greater. His charitable work has included a 10-year trusteeship of the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum.

Matthew Talliss FRICS

Matthew is a chartered quantity surveyor; his role is the global service director for cost and commercial management for Arcadis in the mobility business unit. He has worked within the infrastructure industry for 17 years across major UK infrastructure, including legacy programmes in aviation, highways and rail sectors. He is a fellow of RICS, a member of the RICS education accreditation team and has been nominated three times for RICS Mentor of the Year. Matthew is a passionate advocate for promoting the profession working with Ahead partnership previously, volunteering at schools in Birmingham and founded an international RICS chartership programme in the Philippines to support colleagues becoming chartered surveyors. As a member of the UK & Ireland World Regional Board Matthew wants to drive positive sustainability change within the industry, champion for how we digitilise solutions and promote the profession for all.

Tracey Hartley MRICS

Over 25 years of experience in residential property investment and asset management across Estate, Block, and BTR sectors. Proven senior leadership in strategy and operations. 10 years in fund management and operations at Grainger. Former head of Residential at The Howard de Walden Estate, JLL – The Crown Estate, and COO at Cortland EU. Influential roles in industry initiatives, including: Government PRS Taskforce; Chair of the BPF Residential Management Committee; BPF Living Sectors Board member; Co-chair of the ARL Policy & Research Committee.

Mark Devlin FRICS

Marks introduction to the Residential Surveying and Valuation industry dates back over the past 12 years when was appointed Managing Director of Colleys Residential Survey and Valuation Services in 2012, and has continued to support RICS through his board appointments at RICS Scotland and his recent term as Chair of RICS in Scotland. Now the Managing Director of Client Services in Lloyds Banking Group his career is now focussed in the regulated space supporting business and commercial clients. Mark remains a strong supporter of RICS and is keen to ensure that the membership of the institution is represented and continues to offer opportunities to create an inclusive and diverse organisation that truly represents the country it serves.