People Roundup: Zillow, Property Finder, Huspy, Coralytics, Immobiliare.it

This week's people roundup starts in the United States, and one of Zillow's flagship products...

United States: Zillow hires senior vice president of Market Operations and Flex

Zillow has hired Zuhairah Washington as the Group's new senior vice president of Market Operations and general manager for Zillow's Flex program.

Washington's new role will see her lead operations and scaling initiatives to support Zillow's Flex agents and teams as the company continues to focus on growing breadth and depth in its enhanced markets in 2025.

Washington, whose CV boasts successful tenures at companies including Uber and Expedia Group, commented:

"Homeownership is at the heart of the American dream, and for many, that journey begins on Zillow. I'm thrilled to join this dynamic company dedicated to transforming this pivotal milestone into a seamless and integrated experience.

"Together with our Flex partners and Enhanced Markets teams, we will continue to leverage digital innovation to expand our reach and help even more movers across the country get home with confidence and ease."

Flex is part of Zillow's Premier Agent offer, which sees the portal giant partner with the best agents to increase transactions. Flex, an invite-only offer for selected agents, provides connections and leads at no upfront cost. Zillow takes a commission whenever a Premier Agent closes a deal, and consistently successful agents receive a higher proportion of incoming leads in the future.

In enhanced markets, Zillow does not run its Premier Agent product and instead exclusively uses the Flex program. Meanwhile, consumers in enhanced markets benefit from what the company calls "real-time touring" and can book a tour of a home through the portal in less than an hour as well as greater integration of Zillow's Home Loans solutions.

Jun Choo, COO at Zillow, said:

"We are excited Zuhairah has joined Zillow to lead our efforts to scale our Flex and Enhanced Market strategy. Home shoppers and movers demand and deserve a more seamless transaction experience, and we're delivering that in partnership with great agents who are growing their businesses by focusing on solving consumer problems with us."

Asia: Property Finder appoints new Group CFO

Property Finder has hired Jamie O’Mahony as the Group's new Chief Financial Officer.

O’Mahony joins from the same position at Singaporean food and grocery delivery platform Foodpanda. His employment history also includes a stint at Just Eat in the United Kingdom, where he also held several senior financial positions.

Michael Lahyani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Property Finder, said:

"I’m delighted to welcome Jamie onboard.His experience and leadership will be instrumental in helping us drive sustainable growth and deepen our impact across our markets. 2024 was a milestone year for Property Finder on multiple fronts, from expanding operations and growing our team of diverse global talent, to attracting regional interest from first time global investors. As we move into 2025, we are laser-focused on sustaining this momentum. Key to our journey is having the right leadership in place and I am excited to have Jamie onboard to navigate this exciting phase of the business."

O’Mahony commented, "I’m incredibly honoured to join Property Finder at such a pivotal time for the company and the tech and real estate industries. The company’s mission and role in transforming the way people experience one of life’s biggest financial decisions—buying a home—resonates deeply with me."

Huspy appoints general manager for Spain

The UAE-based proptech company Huspy has promoted Cristina Chamás to general manager of Huspy Spain.

Despite operating in the Middle East, Huspy also has a Spain segment—opened in 2022—that lists for-sale properties and offers services to agents in Spain.

Chamás commented, "My priority is to consolidate Huspy’s position as a leading multinational in real estate technology in Spain."

Europe: Coralytics appoints new CEO

AI-focused proptech Coralytics has appointed Fouad Bekkar as the firm's new CEO.

Bekkar has left Property Finder, where he was vice president of data and AI.

Bekkar said:

"Leaving Property Finder was not an easy decision, but it felt like the right time to take my passion for real estate and AI to the next level. The platform [Coralytics] reflects my belief that AI can be a game changer in solving real world problems and creating impactful solutions."

Immobiliare.it founder steps down from board

Carlo Giordano has stepped down from the company’s board of directors, 20 years after co-founding the company.

Giordano, who served as CEO until 2022, will remain a shareholder.

He commented:

"I leave my operational role happy, and I feel enriched by every single day spent with the people of Immobiliare.it, with the partners and with the thousands of professionals I have had the privilege of meeting on many occasions."