People Roundup: Boneo CEO Departs, Zillow Promotes Three

This week's people roundup includes several C-suite changes at major portals worldwide. We'll start in Sweden...

Europe: Boneo CEO leaves after boardroom disagreement

Frederik Engdahl has left Boneo, citing a difference of opinion with the board.

The search for a new CEO will begin immediately, according to a company statement.

Boneo said:

Under Fredrik Engdahl’s leadership, Boneo has established itself as a strong contender in the Swedish housing market and significantly strengthened its position. Despite a challenging market, the company delivered its strongest year to date in 2025 and gained market share.

The decision is based on the fact that the board and CEO have different views on the company’s strategic path forward in the phase that the company is now entering.

As Boneo now faces the next step in its growth journey, the board and Fredrik Engdahl have concluded that it is the right time for a change in leadership.

Engdahl told Online Marketplaces:

"Given what we started with, I’m proud of what we have managed to achieve in my almost 6 years at Boneo. We went from a subpar and unknown property portal with a vague value proposition, to establish Boneo as one of the leading portals in Sweden, achieving profitable growth and increasing NPS for agents and consumers by double digits. We achieved this by setting a new strategy, establishing a clearly defined market position, and laser focus on the product and its value proposition. Boneo is now almost always mentioned along with Hemnet and Booli in regards to the property portal market in Sweden.

"The critical difference between incumbent portals and realtor-owned portal challengers is that the success of the portal is the number one, and only, priority for the incumbent, which necessarily isn’t the case for realtor-owned portals as the realtor business will always be the number one priority. Realtor owned-portals have the benefit of industry loyalty, but the necessary dedication, portal customer obsession, capital, and speed, required to make a serious dent in the market is often hindered by conflict of interests, bureaucracy, and decisions driven more by industry legacy rather than the commercial priorities and growth of the property portal."

Boneo achieved full-year profitability last year, and announced a significant equity-for-media investment in December 2025.

SeLoger promotes Sackler to CTO

Valentin Stackler has been appointed Chief Technology Officer at SeLoger, nearly a decade after joining the company as an engineer.

Commenting on LinkedIn, Stackler said:

"After 9 incredible years with this company, I am pleased to start a new chapter as CTO of SeLoger Group. Arriving as an iOS developer, I am deeply grateful for the trust and opportunities I have been given over the years. Thank you to the Mobile teams, and more recently Data, with whom I have grown, learned and built. Thank you also to Baptiste Capron (CEO at SeLoger) for his trust in this new role." [Translated from French]

Swiss Marketplace Group appoints ex-Aviv Group veteran as director of Product

SMG has appointed Peter Gerber as its new director of Product for its Real Estate segment, joining from Aviv Group, where he was currently serving as interim Chief Product Officer.

In a post on the Group's LinkedIn page. SMG commented that Gerber will "place a special focus on expanding AI-driven product innovations to accelerate decision-making processes, increase efficiency for private and professional market participants and further improve the overall customer experience."

Commenting on his own LinkedIn page, Gerber said:

"I’m excited to join SMG Real Estate at an important moment for marketplaces and technology, and to continue building in a space I care deeply about. Thank you Martin Waeber for the trust put into me. Marketplaces are long games, built on trust, liquidity, and disciplined execution, and I look forward to contributing to that ambition at SMG Swiss Marketplace Group."

North America: Zillow closes three big internal promotions

Zillow has promoted three internal employees, strengthening its Product, Rentals and Corporate Affairs organisations.

Christopher Roberts has been named chief product officer, leading Zillow’s Product organisation as the company continues advancing its platform for the AI era.

Marissa Brooks has been promoted to senior vice president of Corporate Affairs, leading Zillow’s communications, industry events and government relations efforts, guiding how the company shows up across policy, industry and media.

Jon Lim has been named senior vice president of Rentals Product & Business Operations, supporting the Zillow Rentals strategy of building a comprehensive rentals marketplace and modernising the rental transaction as well as implementing AI.

Commenting on the hires, Jeremy Wacksman, CEO at Zillow, said:

"In real estate and technology, sustainable growth requires innovation, operational excellence and trust. Christopher’s Product leadership has been foundational to how we build and scale our marketplace. Jon has played a key role in shaping both our For Sale and Rentals experiences, driving product innovation and strategic growth across our platform. And Marissa’s leadership in Communications and Government Relations ensures we engage responsibly and credibly on the issues that shape housing. Together, they help position Zillow for long-term success."

Asia: REA India appoints new CRO

REA India has named Aditya Sandhu as its new Chief Revenue Officer for Housing.com.

According to a post on the company's LinkedIn page, REA India says Sandhu has "built, scaled, and transformed businesses across FMCG, e-commerce, and technology-led organisations, spanning both high-growth startups and established enterprises."

Sandhu joins REA India from VLCC, a healthcare company where he served as Chief Business Officer.

REA India, a subsidiary of REA Group, has operated a portfolio of real estate marketplace businesses until recently, divesting from PropTiger and sunsetting Makaan to focus its attention on the flagship portal, housing.com.

The business has undergone significant management changes since long-time CEO Dhruv Agarwala stepped down in July 2025, seeing a new CEO (Praveen Sharma) and Chief Growth and Marketing Officer (Kapil Goswami) join the business in the meantime.

REA India’s revenue fell by 40% to USD 27 million in the six months to December 2025.