Dr. Megan Walters Elected as RICS International Governing Councillor to Represent Asia

HONG KONG, July 14 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Asia announced today that Dr. Walters has been appointed to the RICS Governing Council (GC) as a nominated member. The term of office will begin from July 2009 until 2012.

The GC is the top decision-making body in RICS. It sets the direction and strategy for the RICS and is made up of 70-strong RICS members from all over the world, chaired by the President. Having set the direction, the GC will monitor achievement and performance and adjust strategy as required. There are now a total of four representatives from Asia sitting on the GC which includes Mr. Ong See Lian, the newly elected Vice President of RICS (from Malaysia), Dr. Walters (from Singapore), Mr. David Tse and Dr. Daniel Ho (both from Hong Kong).

The newly elected Governing Councillor Dr. Walters says: "I feel honoured to be appointed to the RICS International Governing Council as a nominated member. I very much look forward to working closely with members across the world to expand our relevance in the market and to RICS members."

Darren Jensen, Director of RICS Asia added his congratulations and said "Dr Walters will be a very strong advocate for RICS Asia. Her expertise in education and research are well respected and beneficial to our cause. I am encouraged by RICS Asia's growth and increased representation on the RICS's highest body, the GC."

Dr Walters is the Chief Economist for Cushman & Wakefield Asia Pacific and is based in Singapore. She is a Chartered Surveyor with over 20 years of experience. Dr Walters has lived and worked in Asia since in 1995, when she moved to in Hong Kong in 1995. Her previous roles have included public and private finance initiative projects at Bovis Lend Lease in the UK, and managing a range of hotel assets for a large UK based hotel company. Dr Walters' PhD in institutional economics of real estate is obtained from the University of Hong Kong and her MSc and BSc are from the University of Reading.

About RICS & RICS Asia

RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) is an independent professional body originally established in the UK by Royal Charter. Since 1868, RICS has been committed to setting and upholding the highest standards of excellence and integrity - providing impartial, authoritative advice on key issues affecting businesses and society. RICS is the worlds' leading qualification when it comes to professional standards in land, property and construction. With over 140,000 members globally, RICS represents, regulates and promotes the work of property professionals throughout 146 countries.

The RICS Asia supports a network of over 11,000 individual professionals across the Asia region with an objective to help develop the property and construction markets in these countries, by introducing professional standards, best practice and international experience. It promotes RICS and its members as the natural advisors on all property matters. It also ensures that services and career development opportunities are provided to members.

The RICS Asia region covers national associations and local groups locating in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, The People's Republic of China and the SAR Hong Kong. It also has members working across the region such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos PDR, Macao, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, The Maldives, The Philippines, Timor East and Vietnam. For further details, please visit our new website: http://www.ricsasia.org .

Designated contacts for Hong Kong media:

RICS Asia Public Relations Representative

Ms Belinda Chan / Ms Kate Kwan

Tel: +852-2372-0090

Fax: +852-2372-0490

Mobile: +852-9379-3045 / +852-9077-1337

Email: belinda@creativegp.com / kate@creativegp.com