HEAVY hitter Ciara Murphy, head of the Society of Chartered Surveyors, looks like having a straight run to become the first director general of Ireland's new organisation for surveyors and auctioneers when they formally merge in January.
This week Alan Cooke, chief executive of the Irish Auctioneers and Valuers Institute (IAVI), announced that he would be retiring at the end of December but he will be making his services available as a consultant to the newly-created Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland.
The body will be lucky to have his support and advice after 40 years in the property industry and 16 years as head of the IAVI. Cooke will be remembered particularly for developing higher standards of education and professionalism in the property sector.
He introduced an honours degree in property studies as a requirement for membership of the IAVI and completed a full audit of members complying with continuing professional development requirements, which made it easier for the IAVI to merge with the SCS.
Cooke’s retirement is another change in an industry that has seen major upheaval in the past two years following the collapse of the property market. Most of Dublin’s large estate agencies have made significant staff cuts and some have relied on contributions from senior staff members to keep going. Thankfully, the industry seems to have turned the corner and most are reporting a partial recovery.
