Ray White Commercial has appointed Andrew Freeman, who has been with the family group for 18 years, as the new Head of Agency Operations.
Mr Freeman has had an illustrious career with the family-owned and led brand, and after sitting down with Ray White Group Managing Director Dan White, was convinced his next step would be into the commercial network.
“I’d often thought about being part of the commercial network and, in fact, it was commercial agents that got me into the real estate world back in 2002,” Mr Freeman said.
“There’s a massive opportunity for us as a group and we have so much growth potential – it’s a genuinely exciting time to be taking over.
“There are gaps that can be plugged across a large number of our markets, but particularly in Victoria and up the eastern seaboard.
“My vision is to continue to grow our market share and to have a cohesive network, where every single business, sales agent and property manager are pulling in the same direction towards our common goal. We can achieve much more and go a lot further, together.
“Recruitment is high on the agenda and we’ll be working hard to bring on new businesses and new salespeople across our network to complement the existing businesses that do such a wonderful job for us.
“I have growth aspirations across the board, but being Melbourne born and bred, this market has a particular personal interest for me.
“I’m a Ray White man through and through, I do bleed yellow and grey, and I look forward to plotting future domination for our commercial network.”
Mr Freeman, who has had strong experience in both business ownership and corporate, said he now had big ambitions for the commercial network.
“My journey through life has been one full of variety ever since I left high school and made the decision to become a chef,” he said.
“I proudly opened my own Melbourne restaurant and trained under one of the country’s top chefs. A highlight of my career was the time I spent in the US with Andrew Peacock, Australia’s Ambassador to the US at the time, working as his personal chef.
“I wanted a career change because of my family so I applied for a role as a cadet agent in an independent agency, however I quickly saw the values didn’t align with mine. But then Ray White came along – and the culture there was perfect for me.
“Being family-owned and led exudes the ‘togetherness’ culture and offered the trusting, supportive, fun and passionate environment I was seeking.
“I actually met my wife at Ray White, she was a broker for Ray White Financial Services (now Loan Market) and we now have three children aged 13, 10 and eight.
“I began in the Ray White Ferntree Gully office in 2002 and after moving to Wantirna, I made my way through sales towards Premier, then Elite status and was regularly in the top 10 agents in Victoria.
“After spending time as a Sales Manager, I moved into the corporate sphere and after working closely with and leading the Ray White St Kilda business, I knew ownership was my next step.
“I was proud to then open Ray White Rowville – a project that started from scratch as a new start, new building and new everything – then in 2018 I sold the rent roll and in 2019 I sold the sales business, before moving back into corporate.”
Ray White Group Managing Director Dan White said this was another huge step in Mr Freeman’s career with the family-owned and led company.
“Andrew has made a huge impact in every area of our group to date, from sales and business ownership, through to the corporate team,” Mr White said.
“I’ve no doubt that he’ll bring all of his energy and creativity to the new role and continue the exciting momentum of our commercial network.”
