A New Philosophy for Real Estate Leadership with Justin Young, CEO of RICS

What can a military commander’s philosophy teach the real estate industry about its future?

A question that comes to mind when speaking with Justin Young, the CEO of RICS, whose non-traditional path to one of the most influential roles in the sector has given him a unique and powerful perspective.

Justin Young - CEO of RICS

In a candid conversation with CRE Insider, he shared his insights on everything from the lessons learned on the battlefield to the urgent need for the industry to embrace a more diverse and collaborative future.

The Making of a Leader: Teamwork, Resilience

For Justin, leadership was forged not in the boardroom, but in a troop of twelve soldiers and three tanks. He explains that his six years in the army fundamentally shaped him.

"The things you learn there are absolutely about the fact you cannot do things on your own," he states. "It goes beyond teamwork. You have to pull in all the resources around you to be successful."

This philosophy directly informs his approach as CEO of the RICS today.

"You learn from the people who you are actually leading," he says, a lesson he has carried into his current role. "I want to hire people and have in teams people who are so much better at what they do than I am... otherwise there's not much point in them being here."

He rejects the top-down, command-and-control stereotype of military leadership, explaining that the real skill is in helping people understand the "why" behind a mission.

The Modernisation Mandate: A New Vision for RICS

Justin sees a critical role for RICS, beyond its remit of setting standards and regulating the profession, as a convener and an enabler, for members, governments and particularly for the SMEs who form the backbone of the industry.

In a world of profound disruption from AI and sustainability, he argues that the professional body must be there to help its members navigate the changes.

"If you're an SME, you may not have the available funds or time to invest in these elements, so you're looking to someone else to help you," he explains.

This is precisely where Justin sees RICS stepping in.

He outlines a vision for the institution to act as a central "purveyor of knowledge," revamping its tech partner programme and convening thought leadership to help all firms navigate these complex changes.

But his vision for modernisation goes beyond just providing resources; it extends to the very makeup of the profession itself.

A key part of his vision is to champion cognitive diversity.

"If you look at industries that are probably coming off their peak now, like the oil industry," he suggests, "there's going to be a number of people coming out of that industry who, because of the world they've worked in, many of them would make brilliant surveyors."

He makes a compelling case that the solutions to the industry's biggest problems will come from bringing in talent with transferable skills from outside the traditional property world, as well as from a broader section of younger people choosing surveying as their first career.

A Call to Action for a Collective Future

Throughout the conversation, a clear call to action emerged:

The industry must collaborate more effectively to tackle its biggest challenges, most notably the skills crisis.

He reveals that RICS is working with the other major professional bodies to speak with a single, powerful voice to the government.

"The big things are skills and education," he states. "It's just huge... there are not enough people coming into any of our professions." he notes, emphasising his focus on RICS Matrics, the early careers community.

He is a strong advocate for a GCSE in the built environment to get young people engaged before they make their career choices.

He also has a direct ask for the private sector to engage more deeply with local colleges and universities.

"Property is a really local game," he says. "Get to know your local college, your local university... because students are looking for people with local knowledge and experience to share advice and guidance and they don't necessarily want to move all the way down to London to get their job."

Conclusion

The conversation with Justin Young is a powerful reminder that the future of the built environment will not be secured by sticking to the old rules.

His leadership philosophy, forged by a unique blend of military and corporate experience, offers a compelling vision for a more resilient, diverse, and collaborative industry.

It's a vision built on a simple but profound idea: the best solutions, and the best talent, are often found by looking beyond our own borders.

The Insider Take: Why the RICS CEO's Biggest Strength is That He Isn't a Surveyor

The most revealing insight from our conversation with Justin Young isn't just what he said, but who he is. His leadership philosophy, forged in the military and honed in global tech corporations, gives him a unique "outsider's advantage."

He sees the built environment not as an industry of silos, but as a complex system that requires a totally different approach to leadership and talent.

Justin's urgent focus on the "skills crisis" should be a red flag for every firm in the sector. This isn't just an HR issue; it's a fundamental commercial risk. A shrinking talent pipeline directly threatens future growth, project delivery, and the industry's ability to innovate. When the head of the industry's main professional body says "there are not enough people coming into any of our professions," it's a direct challenge to the long-term viability of the current business model.

His call for radical collaboration is a direct challenge to the industry's traditionally competitive nature. The old model of simply competing for the best graduates from a handful of universities is no longer sustainable. Young's philosophy suggests a new game: the firms that will win in the next decade are those that actively invest in growing the entire talent pool, not just poaching from it. His challenge to "get to know your local college" isn't just a nice piece of CSR; it's a strategic imperative for survival.

Ultimately, the interview is a powerful argument that the future of the built environment depends on its leaders having the courage to look beyond its own walls for both talent and ideas.

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