A DROITWICH mother-of-one has been appointed West Midlands regional director of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

At 39, Jackie Alderson becomes the youngest regional director in RICS UK, which has a national membership of 90,000, with 7,000 members in the West Midlands.

Ms Alderson brings extensive property and business experience to the role, including time with Sainsbury's Developments and Calthorpe Estates.

Most recently, she was head of marketing and communications for the region's development agency, Advantage West Midlands.

"Having worked in both the public and private sector, I have a good understanding of the challenges currently facing the RICS West Midlands," said Ms Alderson. "We're entering a new era and the collective professional expertise of our 7,000 members in the region needs to be much more widely recognised."

RICS West Midlands' membership covers a broad range of disciplines across all areas of land, property, construction and the built environment.

Members provide expert professional advice and consultation on surveying, ownership and occupation, development, management and environmental issues, among others.

As a body, RICS works with businesses, Government bodies and other professional and industrial organisations, and is often consulted by the Government on policy issues.

Speaking on her plans for the future, Ms Alderson said the private sector had been "marginalised" by the public sector in their economic planning for "far too long", particularly when it came to regeneration and transportation.

"It is vital that stronger public/private partnerships are forged and I am looking forward to making the West Midlands RICS a strong regional player," she said.

Chairman of the RICS West Midlands regional board, Simon Farrant, emphasised the importance of Ms Alderson's appointment to the West Midlands branch, which covers Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

"Jackie understands the way in which this organisation needs to progress in order to better serve our members and change the way in which we are perceived by the wider business community, as well as the general public," he said.

"She has the full support of the regional board and I am fully confident that the ideas and experiences she brings to the role will help us to drive RICS West Midlands forward."