Xenia Kaldy has become one of only ten people in the UK to achieve Chartered Surveyor status as a construction and infrastructure specialist on the sustainability pathway with the RICS.
A new route for sustainability professionals
Sustainability professionals in construction have had few ways to prove their expertise through chartership. Bodies such as the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment cover the profession broadly, but none let a specialist demonstrate competence in a specific area of construction sustainability. RICS built its new pathway to close that gap, with routes in retrofit, decarbonisation, whole life carbon and circularity.
For Xenia, that was one of the main reasons for applying.
There are professional bodies for sustainability practitioners, but they're often very broad. This was the first opportunity to demonstrate competence in the specific areas we work in within the construction industry.”
Xenia Kaldy
Associate, Sustainability
A case study built on real project work
The pilot opened 30 places across the UK and Europe, allocated first come, first served. Xenia secured one of ten places for UK construction and infrastructure specialists.
Xenia studied environmental science with the Open University before joining Ridge, where she has spent six and a half years specialising in whole life carbon assessments.
What it means for Ridge clients
This expertise gives Ridge clients an added layer of assurance on projects: independently assessed proof of competence in specialist areas such as whole life carbon and decarbonisation, in a field where formal recognition has historically been hard to come by. For potential clients running bids that call for chartered sustainability expertise, it means that assurance is already in place. “Clients want to know the advice they’re getting has been tested and signed off by someone independent, not just self-declared,” Xenia said. “This gives them that.”
RICS has not yet confirmed whether the pathway will continue beyond the pilot. Xenia hopes it does, so more of the industry can offer clients the same level of assurance.
For more information, visit our sustainability page, or contact Xenia at xeniakaldy@ridge.co.uk
