The RICS has temporarily appointed Nick Maclean OBE as acting president after the institution’s current president Justin Sullivan referred himself to RICS regulators following his appearance as an expert witness in a High Court case relating to a moth-infested mansion.
Maclean, who received an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list last year, has 30 years of property industry experience at CBRE, where he has served as chair of CBRE Middle East and North Africa region. He has also spent seven years as the Scottish government’s trade and investment envoy to the United Arab Emirates and has been an active member of RICS for more than 20 years having served on and chaired the Governing Council.
His appointment comes after Sullivan was criticised last month by a High Court judge for giving “flawed” evidence in the case of Iya Patarkatsishvili & Anor v William Woodward-Fisher.
A spokesperson for Sullivan, who denies any wrongdoing and referred the matter to the RICS Standards and Regulation Board’s regulatory team, said: “There is a misunderstanding and an over-reaction. Mr Sullivan is a chartered quantity surveyor and is instructed in litigation as an expert witness. There is no finding of professional misconduct against Mr Sullivan. He has referred himself to RICS as a matter of routine. That process is confidential. Mr Sullivan has nothing further to say at present.”
RICS said in a statement announcing Maclean’s appointment: “We will provide more information on this matter to our members as soon as possible.”
