JUST A year after taking office as director general, Ciara Murphy is beginning to shake up the fuddy-duddy image of the Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCS). In future the society will be much more proactive in canvassing the Government on policies affecting the construction and property industries. At the moment it is mounting a campaign to encourage the Government to proceed with the roll out of the National Development Plan which offers the prospect of a great many jobs in the professional and construction industries at a time when unemployment is rising.

And just as every industry has been affected by job losses, many SCS members have also taken a hit from the collapse of the property industry and the banking crisis. To help chartered surveyors out of work, the SCS has a series of one-day workshops where participants are encouraged to reassess their skills and examine whether their next option should be either to set up business as a sole trader or look at opportunities in related industries. The initiative has attracted considerable attention among the 2,200 SCS members and an additional 1,000 students who are in training.

Ciara Murphy, previously director general of the Irish Dental Association, has no difficulty in negotiating the heavy Dublin traffic since moving to the SCS. She uses a fold-up bicycle to get to her appointments on time. By all accounts a resourceful lady.