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IT’S ALL ABOUT THE
PEOPLE Michael Bonello, CEO of Alliance Real Estate Group speaks about the company’s vision and biggest strength: its people.
WHAT WAS THE VISION FOR ALLIANCE IN THE EARLY DAYS AND HOW HAS THIS EVOLVED? As well as being defined in our brand name, our vision has always been to create an alliance of like-minded professionals working together in synergy, to conclude real estate deals that are equitable to all stakeholders. In the early days we were just as driven as we are today. What has changed is mainly that we are now much better equipped to deliver on this vision in every transaction we facilitate.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU’VE EXPERIENCED SINCE FOUNDING THE COMPANY? The company was originally founded in 2006 but we rebranded to Alliance in July 2020. Since then, I would say our biggest achievement has been making Alliance the independent real estate brand it is today. The decision to move a very successful business with more than 150 people from an international franchise framework into an independent new brand was not easy as there were many mixed emotions. The fact that we retained more than 98% of our people proved our team’s approval of the move, and winning five prestigious industry awards within just a few months was further confirmation that we are doing things well. The launch of the new Alliance brand generated so much market interest that within the first 18 months, five operational real estate
companies decided to rebrand their premises and engage their existing teams in the Alliance franchise network. This is unprecedented in the local market and is a clear industry endorsement of our work. Moreover, when earlier this year we re-launched our Letting division, within the first five months we already engaged no less than 42 letting advisors, with even more substantial growth forecast for the coming months. I must add that all this went on regardless of the global pandemic of 2019 to 2021. That makes these accomplishments even more rewarding for us all.
AS CEO, WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION THAT MOTIVATES YOU TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS? I admire business leaders and find some motivational speakers inspirational and motivating, but my biggest influence has to be the people I have around me. All Alliance sales and letting advisors working across the branches, my partners, and the management team, are my biggest inspiration and my motivation to work harder every day. One of my biggest rewards is helping people turn their lives around. Meeting people I worked with to launch new venture ideas years ago, and seeing them now leading very successful lives, fills me with personal satisfaction.
