Chris Heller, president of KW Worldwide, has announced the expansion of Keller Williams Realty into Indonesia and South Africa during their Mega Camp event Sept. 20.
By Carlo Calma
As part of its plan of continuing international expansion, Keller Williams Realty, Inc. has announced that they will be opening up two new franchises in Indonesia and South Africa during its annual Mega Camp event Sept. 2o.
Chris Heller, president of Keller Williams’ KW Worldwide, explained in a press release that the realty will set up camps in Jakarta, Indonesia and Pretoria, South Africa. He further explained that he is optimistic and excited for their venture into these new international markets.
“We are excited to see them experience the same momentum and growth we have seen in North America,” said Heller.
The “Company of Change”
For Johan Gouws, master franchisor for Keller Williams’ office in Pretoria, the realty’ arrival in South Africa is an opportunity for change in the country’s real estate industry.
“We simply cannot carry on in the South African real estate industry the way things are now,” said Gouws. “Keller Williams is the company of change for us.”
Niel Cronje, Gouw’s franchising partner, shared the same sentiment. For Cronje, the Keller Williams company is more than “just another international brand.”
“This is the most innovative real estate brand in the world, the one that is committed to building ‘careers worth having, businesses worth owning and lives worth living,” said Cronje. “[It’s] the only brand that is truly for the agents. We can certainly see that the Keller Williams culture will sit very well with out market.”
The Logistics to Keller Williams South Africa
Both Gouws and Cronje bring a combined total of over 50 years of industry experience in the South African real estate community. Gouw has extensive experience with overseeing gated developments and land acquisition for commercial and residential developments in Pretoria, while Cronje has years of experience with national and international real estate and running his own profitable franchise operation.
The Keller Williams South Africa team will be rounded out by Tertius Zitzke, CEO and owner of AccTech Systems, and Stefan Swanepoel, business industry icon and author of the New York Times best-seller Surviving Your Serengeti: 7 Skills to Master Business & Life.
Eddy to Lead Keller Williams Indonesia
Tony Eddy, chairman and CEO of Jakarta-based real estate consulting firm Tony Eddy & Associates, will take the helm for Keller Williams’ franchise in Indonesia.
He will bring more than 14 years of industry experience for the Keller Williams brand, which include project marketing and consulting for both the Jakarta and Bali real estate markets.He backs his industry experience with an MBA in finance, investment and banking and an MSc in real estate and urban economics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
In addition to his own real estate consulting firm, Eddy also served as a real estate credit manager with Citibank – Jakarta. His industry affiliations include a membership in the National Association of Realtors, as well as the Indonesian Association of Real Estate Brokers, where he serves as president for its chapter in Bali.
For more information on Keller Williams’ international expansion, visit KW Worldwide.