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Steve Caradoc-Davies started his career as a real estate agent for his parents’ business, and now he is the boss of a leading real estate brand.
Before Mr Caradoc-Davies became Harcourts’ CEO, he had a successful life in South Africa where he started his real estate career at the age of 19.
He joined the family business, and just a few years later, he bought it from his parents at the end of 1996.
“We were a small business, and we had an average market share in our market,” Mr Caradoc-Davies told Real Estate Business.
At the time, he was part of Home Net, and he joined its board in 2005.
“It was then I felt I needed to grow my business from an average company to a successful one,” he said. “I grew my business from 2.5 per cent market share to roughly 30 per cent.”
In 2010, he decided to rebrand, and that was when he joined Harcourts.
Mr Caradoc-Davies had created a great life for him and his family in Somerset West, just outside of Cape Town.
“I’m one of a few South Africans who didn’t leave after a bad experience,” he said. “It was just a fantastic opportunity.”
Hard work and motivation are what have got Mr Caradoc-Davies to the position he is in today. He hopes to use his experience to help Harcourts franchises around the world.
“We are focused on ensuring we deliver to our franchisees... I’m really concentrated on looking at ways to add value to our teams on the ground so they can deliver the experience our clients are looking for,” he said.
He moved to Australia to work at Harcourts head office starting in April, and the transition has been smooth.
“Australians are super friendly,” he said. “And Brisbane has a good climate.”
Additionally, the Harcourts team has warmly welcomed him to his new office.
“The Brisbane team has been friendly. I know a lot of the team, so I’m not a complete stranger,” he said. “It was really important to the board the new CEO really fitted in well with the Harcourts culture. I think from a culture perspective, I’m a good fit.”
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