Ray White New Zealand has appointed experienced award winning auctioneer Gavin Croft as its new Chief Operating Officer to help spearhead the next phase of growth at the leading network.
Ray White New Zealand currently has a network of 177 offices across the country with a market turnover of $11.9 billion in sales and 18,000 properties under management. Ray White’s national market share sits at 19.4 per cent in New Zealand.
“The role is one of inclusiveness which will see Gavin engaging with our top group businesses, deploying strategy throughout the network for continuing national market share growth,” Ray White New Zealand CEO Carey Smith said.
“Together with this, Gavin will provide expertise in the area of individual and agency growth.
“Gavin’s appointment further strengthens our senior leadership bench.”
Mr Croft has almost 20 years experience in the real estate industry as a salesperson, auctioneer, business owner and state manager for some of Australasia’s leading brands.
Throughout his career, he has overseen more than 15,000 property transactions but he has a keen strategic interest in improving the consumer experience.
His devotion to his craft has seen Mr Croft win both awards and admiration of his peers across all levels.
His deep industry knowledge and insights into the sophisticated New Zealand property markets are second to none.
He’s won multiple auctioneer of the year awards and finalist honours at the Australasian auctioneering championships which cements Mr Croft as a highly sought after auctioneer across Australia and New Zealand.
His auction clearance is among the highest in the industry – an 80 per cent clearance rate from the 1027 auctions he called last year.
Reflecting on his appointment, Mr Croft said he was thrilled to be joining Ray White New Zealand at this pivotal time.
“I have been working with some of the top offices already in the group but I am looking forward to bringing my experience into the network as a whole,” he explained.
“I sense a real opportunity exists to become market leaders off the back of the platform that Carey and the broader RW NZ team have built.”
Mr Croft highlighted leadership in the areas of growth, recruitment, auctions, market share and lead generation as the pivotal focus point.
“In the Auckland market we are currently seeing buyers doing a lot of the heavy lifting in an effort to secure quality homes,” he noted.
“There’s a real sense of urgency emerging and buyer behaviour is reflecting this on the auction floor.
“These early indicators are likely to put the market in good stead over the first half of 2020.”
