Property Finder Taps REA Group CEO Owen Wilson for Strategic Growth in MENA

Well, folks, there’s a spot of big news making ripples across the property-tech scene in the MENA region this week: Property Finder has just welcomed REA Group’s CEO Owen Wilson onto its board of directors. Now that’s definitley not something you hear everyday—big moves, as Arageek readers well know, often signal even bigger ambitions in the startup sphere.

Wilson’s track record is pretty impressive—he’s been at REA Group for nine years, first as Chief Financial Officer, then swiftly stepping up as CEO. During his tenure, he steered the company behind realestate.com.au, widely regarded as the number one property portal Down Under, into an industry-leading digital real estate powerhouse. Currently, REA Group sits comfortably on the Australian Stock Exchange with an eye-popping $20 billion valuation (give or take a few quid). Not too shabby, right?

Under Wilson’s guidance, realestate.com.au has excelled in innovation, digital transformation, and international growth. In case you missed it (though regular Arageek readers probably have a finger on the pulse), REA Group used to hold a stake in Property Finder, and Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire, News Corp, owns the bulk of REA. Small world indeed!

Michael Lahyani, Property Finder’s Founder and CEO, is clearly chuffed to bits about the appointment. He pointed out that Wilson’s impressive track record in digital transformation, strategic mergers and acquisitions, and customer-driven innovation makes him something of a benchmark setter within the industry. I reckon Lahyani sees Wilson’s insight as invaluable to keeping Property Finder positioned at the top of its game, driving innovation and offering even greater value to its customers and partners across MENA.

Wilson himself hasn’t been shy to sing Property Finder’s praises. Describing himself as passionate about creating personalised customer experiences, Wilson noted Property Finder’s bold and transformative role in redefining property engagement across the MENA. According to him, the company’s vision aligns neatly with what he’s championed in his career—innovative, customer-centric and data-driven decision-making that’s spot on in today’s digital landscape.

Property Finder has been pretty remarkable since it first opened its doors in 2007—now a vital connector between millions of property hunters and thousands of real estate professionals throughout the region. With Wilson’s valuable addition, I’d expect we’re going to see even more initiatives that push the envelope and enrich the real estate market here.

And believe it or not, these leadership appointments often seem dry, but let’s face it, when it’s someone of Wilson’s calibre, it definitely warrants taking notice. It feels like the start of a promising chapter not only for Property Finder but also for tech-driven real estate growth across the MENA region.

Well done to Property Finder—looks like things are shaping up pretty nicely. Keep your eyes peeled, folks; there’ll certainly be more to come soon.

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