Well-known West Sussex auctioneer Rupert Toovey has been appointed the new chairman of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Arts and Antiques faculty board.
He succeeds Nicholas Somers who has held the position for
three years and will be joined by two vice chairmen: Mark Dalrymple
of loss adjusters Tyler & Co and Jeremy Lamond of Shrewsbury
saleroom Halls, who bring experience from the worlds of insurance,
valuation and auctioneering.
Education, recruitment and relevance are the three tenets Mr
Toovey hopes to take forward in the coming years.
"Lifelong learning is key to the success of a vibrant profession
that remains relevant and continues to set standards," he told
ATG.
Currently, graduates wishing to enter the profession can take the
Kingston University MA, but a more recent development is the BA in
Art, Design & Business to be offered by Southampton Solent
University that will draw on their excellent library and reference
collection.
Paying tribute to the work and commitment Nicholas Somers showed
on this matter, Mr Toovey hopes that the RICS will soon be able to
accredit the new course.
Despite a perceived crisis in numbers entering the profession, the
new chairman detects signs that art and antiques are becoming an
aspirational career choice once again.
"The profession combines the excitement of the commercial and
academic art world. Employment as a consultant specialist in areas
of expertise allows for lifestyle choices and flexibility in
working patterns which many find attractive.
"Members up and down the country are reporting increasing numbers
of enquiries from a younger generation seeking membership."
He emphasised, however, the need for the RICS Arts and Antiques
faculty to continue to be accessible and relevant to the changing
market.
A key moment for the association as a whole will, he believes, be
the imminent vote on the recommendations made in the influential
Carsberg Review, a review of the RICS regulatory regime carried out
by Sir Bryan Carsberg.
"Carsberg," says Mr Toovey - whose own career spans 21 years as a
chartered arts and antiques surveyor - "offers the possibility of
clearer, simpler but strong principle-based regulation, making
compliance for members more straightforward whilst maintaining
public confidence and protection."
The last official function of Nicholas Somers will be to chair the
faculty's September conference in Cambridge where - in between
preparations for his September 20 sales (see above) - Mr
Toovey's appointment will be made official.
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