ROLAND OCONNELL will be cheering for more than one reason when he hits Twickenham this weekend for the Heineken Cup Final rugby clash between Leinster and Ulster. Not only will he be rooting for his beloved Leinster, he will also be celebrating his new role as president of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI).
Well known on the Dublin commercial property scene, Roland is a director in the offices division of Savills, and has been with them for 32 years. Formerly chairman of the disciplinary committee of IAVI, O’Connell hails from Kildare and was educated at Clongowes, where Michael O’Leary of Ryanair was a classmate.
Nice to see he keeps the property industry close to his heart in his private life too. Roland’s wife Caroline O’Shea is also a chartered surveyor, working with AIB. At a time when clarity and transparency is critical in the property market, Roland’s challenge now is to ensure the SCSI, through its 4,000 members, works to protect increasingly vulnerable consumers through effective and efficient regulation of the sector.
