(From left to right: Brian White, Ray White Managing Director Dan White, Property Management CEO Emily Sim and Emcee Natalie Hortz.)
RAY WHITE offices across Victoria and Tasmania tuned in online for the annual Ray White Victoria and Tasmania state awards on Wednesday August 26 to celebrate the top offices and individual achievers throughout Victoria’s leading network.
In his opening speech, Ray White Victoria and Tasmania CEO Stephen Dullens said while some elements of the night may be a little different, many things remain the same including both state’s exceptional performance and continued business growth.
“As a collective, we again raised the bar on what was possible, found ways to innovate, do things differently and adjust to do whatever we had to and ultimately provide fantastic outcomes for our customers.
“And so far we’ve been rewarded - never has the gap between us and our competition been larger across Victoria, and Australia, than what it is right now.
“That’s the result of a lot of hard work and dedication from all of our teams and I’d like to thank each and every one of you for this.”
Speaking after Mr Dullens, Ray White Managing Director Dan White said the year to date had shown the group's ability to change, adapt and be nimble.
"People talk about industries being adaptable and new technologies and I think we've shown our ability to do that too and realising when things do need to change we're able to do it and move forward together," Mr White said.
The top performer in terms of settled commission for 2019-20 in Victoria and Tasmania was Ben Thomas of Ray White Ferntree Gully, who took out the top individual spot for the fourth year in a row. The Ferntree Gully agent also ranked #7 in this category across the Ray White Group internationally.
Mr Thomas had a stellar career as an accomplished Melbourne chef before he followed his heart into real estate and quickly became a dominant sales force.
"I'm thrilled to have won this for a fourth year in a row. There is some serious competition out there at the moment so it means a lot," Mr Thomas said.
"Obviously I couldn't have done it alone, Maryanne Nicolson and Maddison Pierce have both taken on new roles in my team in the last year and both have absolutely nailed it and I am so proud of them.
"The support from Ray White, the White family, Pat McConnachie and the entire Ferntree Gully has been second to none. It's clear why Ray White is the most trusted real estate name in Australia and why more people chose to sell through us."
The powerhouse Ray White Ferntree Gully business has once again taken out the top overall office spot in Victoria for the fourth year in a row.
"I am humbled that we can do this four years in a row," Ray White Ferntree Gully Managing Director Pat McConnachie said.
"In these testings times we have bound together harder. Over the last three months we've become a closer knit team even though we're not seeing each other as often and it's putting us in good stead for the next year.
"I am so proud of the team and love coming to work everyday because of the people I work with."
Leading agent, Ray White Balwyn principal Helen Yan was named as the number one principal of the 2019-20 year, for the third year in a row. She is also the #4 Top International Principal in the Ray White Group.
Helen Yan was recently crowned as the top female agent in the country in the REB Top 50 Women in Real Estate ranking for 2020, the softly spoken Ms Yan was almost speechless when she heard the news. | 
