News in 2025
|
Report by FIG President Diane Dumashie. Photo courtesy: IPTI
The 12th Caribbean Valuation & Construction Conference, convened by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the International Property Tax Institute (IPTI), was proudly hosted by the Institute of Surveyors St Lucia Inc. (ISSLI). Held in Saint Lucia, this years prestigious event positions the island’s role as a hub for professional dialogue, innovation, and leadership in the built environment.
Each year, the conference rotates among Caribbean nations, making it a highly anticipated forum for regional and international collaboration. The 2025 conference attracted around 150 delegates from across the Caribbean, North America, and Europe, underscoring its global significance.
Led
by Clive Hippolyte, President of the Institute
of Surveyors St. Lucia (ISSLI), played a central role in hosting the
event, drawing on its membership that advances professional knowledge
across diverse surveying disciplines including land surveying,
valuation, quantity surveying, and property surveying and is proudly
affiliated with global bodies such as the International Federation of
Surveyors (FIG).
It
was a pleasure to meet with so many of the ISSLI governance and
secretariat team including immediate past ISSLI President Tryce
Loctar-Polius and other past Presidents. The welcome was
further underscored as many members of FIG were also represented
including Donna VanderVries, President of International
Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO),
and the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy (CASLE).
This reinforced the collaborative importance of FIG, whose members from
Caribbean island nations (Anguilla - British West Indies, Bahamas,
Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago) and international organizations were
well represented.
 |
Left to right: Amy Rasmussen (CEO, IAAO), Donna VanderVries (President, IAAO), and Diane Dumashine (FIG President). |
The conference theme “Innovation and Collaborations” was explored in depth over two days of technical sessions, panel discussions, and networking. Leaders in valuation, construction, property taxation, land administration, real estate, and finance shared expertise and perspectives, highlighting how the surveying profession contributes to sustainable economic development for both people and planet.
FIG President Diane Dumashie was invited by Paul Sanderson (IPTI President), Michael Zuriff (Senior Public Affairs Officer, RICS), and Michael Hardman (Chair of the RICS Americas World Board) to contribute to panel discussions alongside distinguished speakers.
The programme featured keynote address from Tracy Polius (Eastern Caribbean Central Bank) on impact of macro economics in the region, and other noteworthy contributions covering land, valuation and construction from Greg Martino (MPAC - Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, Canada), Celsus Baptiste (Land Administration Consultant, St. Lucia), Joseph F. M. Major (JM Appraisers Ltd., Bahamas), and others.
The deliberations aligned closely with FIG’s four-year work plan, commissions, and task force activities. The programme combined technical valuation and construction topics but above all, with broader discussions on leadership, ethics, standards, and the future of the profession.
Nolan Aikins, Chief Geodesist,
National Land Agency, Jamaica
|
|
The technical program was driven by the Caribbean nations need to accelerate efforts to modernize infrastructure, improve land management systems, and strengthen climate resilience, the conference served as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration. Sustainability was a recurring theme, with contributions from Nolan Aikins (Jamaica) on geodesy and Michelle St. Clair (Jamaica) on modernizing land administration processes in Barbados and Saint Lucia.
Beyond technical expertise, the conference emphasized leadership, ethics, and professional standard. This is a key thread in the FIG agenda. Accordingly, FIG President Diane Dumashie was invited to contribute to two dedicated panels:
First, the panel on standard of ethics with Greg Martino (Vice President and Chief Valuation Officer, Valuation and Assessment Standards, MPAC, Canada) and Donna VanderVries (President, IAAO).
FIG President D. Dumashie contributed:
- To highlight the ethical challenges of data interpretation and the importance of transparency in valuation. Promoting the work of FIG Commission 9 (on Valuation and the Management of Real Estate) that is advancing the conversation on transparency and geodata in real estate by collaborating with International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC) and RICS to integrate data governance and AI into appraisal practices. The goal is to strengthen credibility and consistency through harmonized standards.
- To reaffirm that ethics as the foundational standard of professional practice, anchors behaviour and ensuring public trust. That we work to ‘the public interest’ as referenced in the FIG Statement of Ethical Principles and Model Code of Professional Conduct (FIG Publication #17) and the work of FIG Commission 1 (on Professional Standards and Practice) continues to advance this agenda, emphasizing the profession’s duty to serve the public interest.
Leadership perspectives were further enriched by Jill Urban-Karr (Sr. Business Development Manager, ESRI - FIG Platinum Member) in a Land Administration presentation that highlighted the role of GIS in valuation and leadership. As FIG Commission 10 Chair, Mercy Iyortyer from Nigeria, noted:
- Leadership and ethics are the twin pillars that uphold excellence in our industry. Leadership provides vision and direction; ethics ensures integrity, fairness, and responsibility.
Presenting Jill Urban-Karr (USA), Sr. Business Development Manager, Land Administration, ESRI
(Environmental Systems Research Institute)
|
|
Second, the panel on the future of the industry panel focused on workforce challenges, particularly recruitment, diversity, and retention.
|
Panel "Future of the profession" led by Uche Obi, Director of the Cayman
Islands Government
|
FIG President D. Dumashie contributed:
 |
Role of Professional Bodies presented by FIG and RICS representatives. |
The discussion emphasized preparing NextGen leaders for a world of increased transparency and accountability. Strong ethical frameworks are essential to guide professionals in navigating greater scrutiny and vulnerability.
The conference highlighted the far-reaching impact when the profession joins together to share global to local outreach and practices, demonstrating the value of global collaboration. As the event concluded, the participants expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share knowledge and strengthen professional networks.
The 12th Caribbean Valuation & Construction Conference was more than a professional gathering—it was a catalyst for innovation, collaboration, and leadership in the surveying profession. By addressing technical advancements, as well as ethical standards, and workforce development, the conference reinforced the profession’s pivotal role in shaping sustainable futures for the Caribbean and beyond.
- While the next conference is scheduled to take place in Jamaica in 2026, immediate afterward the 12th conference, Jamaica, along with Haiti and Cuba was struck by Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to strike the Caribbean in modern history.
- On behalf of the FIG community, I wish to express our deepest sympathy to the Jamaican, Haitian and Cuban community at this challenging time. We recognise that the Caribbean surveying professionals will be especially engaged as these islands undertakes its recovery efforts. The global surveying community stands in solidarity with our colleagues across the region, and we send our sincere best wishes for their swift and successful recovery.
Published 22 December 2025
