 Max Crofts has been inaugurated RICS President for the 2009 / 2010 session. Crofts is a Bristol-based partner at international property consultants King Sturge.
King Sturge, which will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2010, has provided two earlier Presidents; William Sturge in 1878 and Philip Franklin in 1976. Crofts took up his position at the RICS Annual General Meeting on 6 July. A specialist in corporate real estate advice and an arbitrator of property disputes, Crofts joined JP Sturge & Sons in 1970 as its first graduate trainee. In 1974 he opened the firm’s Bath office, which he ran for 17 years before returning to Bristol in 1992 at the time of the firm’s merger with London-based King & Co. Crofts says: “The past year has been tumultuous for all in the property world. Members at all levels have been directly or indirectly affected by reduced confidence and fewer business opportunities. “The most important action the RICS can take, and which the Presidential Team will reinforce, is to ensure that the letters FRICS and MRICS continue to be recognised both as the ‘gold standard’ in property expertise and as a ‘global passport’ – the world wide badge of quality. “We must ensure that the profession has the capacity to take advantage of the inevitable upturn, whenever it comes. We are particularly conscious of the difficulties faced by those who have found themselves seeking new jobs and we are keen to ensure that our qualified members and new entrants are not lost to the profession. “One of the ways in which the Institution can underline the profession’s credentials is through its work with Governments around the world, who acknowledge that RICS' measured and thoughtful approach, based on the solid foundation of standards and professionalism, is the answer to a number of challenges in consumer protection and property service, for example in the UK residential sector.”
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