Raine & Horne is showing its commitment to global expansion with the appointment of Bill Russell as General Manager International.

Russell will build Raine & Horne's global networks, and identify development and marketing opportunities in Asia, the Middle East, and India.

Angus Raine, Executive Chairman Raine & Horne, said, "Bill has been in the real estate industry for over 30 years. He has multi-faceted and huge depth of knowledge."

Russell has worked for over 35 years in real estate, including several years with REA Group, and more recently has worked for leading English-speaking real estate portal, Juwai. He will continue as Head of International Development with Juwai in conjunction with his role at Raine & Horne.

Raine said one of the main challenges of international expansion is finding the best people. "The most important thing is getting the right business partner, and that's where Bill will help us."

"Bill's role with Juwai gives him an extensive working knowledge of real estate markets in Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, Europe and North America. We're very keen to tap into Bill's deep well of global experience and connections as we seek new markets," said Raine.

Raine & Horne first expanded overseas in 1989, when it opened an office in Malaysia. The leading Australian real estate company launched a Dubai office in 2015, and according to Raine, will open offices in Fiji, India, Thailand and Papua New Guinea in 2016.

Australia's well-established real estate industry provides an excellent model to take to the rest of the world.

Raine said, "Australia is a global leader in the delivery of real estate agency best practice, and we're the best in the business in terms of IT, marketing, training and agency systems, so it stands to reason that we are taking an aggressive approach to global expansion."

Russell explained the framework for Raine and Horne's international expansion. He said, "We're talking to a lot of entrepreneurs, especially in Asia and the Indian subcontinent, who recognise that a successful real estate business is an excellent financial opportunity, especially with the mushrooming middle classes in those regions. However, they have fingers in many pies and don't necessarily want to get caught up in the finer details of establishing a real estate business. Entrepreneurs want a proven system that works, and this is where a 132-year-old, fourth generation, 100% family-owned company such as Raine & Horne, which has a peerless record for real estate franchising since the mid-1970s, is very appealing."

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