Juwai.com has named Carrie Law CEO and Georg Chmiel chairman, with outgoing Chairman Richard Kuo remaining on the board as a non-executive director, the Chinese real estate portal recently announced. Both Chmiel and Law are former senior executives at iProperty Group, which was acquired by the REA Group, operator of realestate.com.au, in 2016.
“I believe that Georg and Carrie are the best people to lead the company going forward,” says Kuo. “Both bring a wealth of related experience and success in Asian property technology platform businesses to Juwai.com. I don’t believe there is another executive anywhere more capable or more suited to help Juwai.com achieve its strategic goals over the next several years. During 2017, the board and executive team have implemented substantial change in the company, including further refining its strategy and business plan, and these two appointments are an essential part of ensuring Juwai.com remains the clear market leader.
“I would like to express the board’s gratitude to our outgoing CEO,” Kuo says. “Charlie is a talented executive who has led the business through a crucial stage in its growth. I thank him for all of his efforts and wish him the very best.”
Chmiel is taking on the role of chairman after having served as director. He is also chairman of ASX-listed iCar Asia. Previously he was managing director of iProperty Group and remained with the company through its integration into the REA Group.
As CEO and managing director of LJ Hooker, a real estate agency and finance network with 700 offices in nine countries, Chmiel oversaw a period of significant revenue, EBITDA and marketshare growth. LJ Hooker’s valuation doubled during his tenure.
Earlier, Chmiel held the position of CFO and general manager, International, at REA for almost six years and was instrumental in building a solid platform for expansion. This allowed the REA Group to grow exponentially. Its market capitalisation grew from $100 million to $1.6 billion in this period.
Chmiel received the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award in 2016 and the Top Outstanding Leaders Asia Award in 2015.
“Juwai.com’s great strengths include its leading market position in China, the strength of its brand, and strong consumer and customer demand,” says Chmiel. “The latest data suggests Chinese buyers acquired AU$133.7 billion (US$101.4 billion) of international property last year, and that 2017 will rank among the top three years on record.”
Law has over 20 years of experience in providing effective total solutions for customers in real estate and media, including digital, social media, outdoor, print and TV. At REA, she led a successful two-fold business transformation, locally in Hong Kong and regionally at Group level, and achieved strong revenue growth and profitability from her first year. By prioritizing a strategic focus on digital and mobile, she created sustainable business growth with better experiences for both consumers and customers. Customers she worked with include CENTURY 21, Knight Frank, JLL, Colliers, CBRE, Henderson Land Development, Chinese Estates Holdings, Sun Hung Kai Properties, Sino Group, and Wheelock.
Law is a Hong Kong native and fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and English. She was awarded the Digital Marketer 2016 award by the Hong Kong Association of Integrated Marketing for her contribution to digital innovation for the real estate industry.
“Juwai.com is already the biggest Chinese international property portal and can be even more successful,” says Law. “I look forward to working with the team to find new efficiencies, business models and revenue streams. I’d like to see Juwai.com provide even more value than it does today to both consumers and customers through the smart application of digital and mobile technology in the unique Chinese ecosystem.”
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