People Roundup: Property Guru, SMG, Fotocasa

This week's People Roundup starts in Asia before flying over to Europe...

Asia: PropertyGuru appoints chief information security officer

PropertyGuru Group has appointed Krishna Pandey as chief information security officer to focus on cybersecurity at the Singapore-based marketplace operator.

Pandey joins from Xerox, with stints at Salesforce, Citrix and Cloudera.

Commenting on LinkedIn, Pandey said:

"As the Group scales its tech hubs across Singapore, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, my mission is to ensure that security remains the bedrock of every transaction and interaction on our platforms. PropertyGuru plays a critical role in helping people make one of the most important decisions of their lives. I’m looking forward to building a resilient, trust-first security program that ensures transparency and confidence for property seekers and agents across the region.

Europe: Swiss Marketplace Group appoints new advertisement sales director

Swiss Marketplace Group (SMG) has appointed Thomas Kirchesch as Sales Director for SMG Advertising.

Kirchesch is responsible for direct client and agency business as well as the strategic development of the advertising sales organisation.

According to a release on the Group's website:

SMG Advertising—the central advertising sales unit of SMG Swiss Marketplace Group—is realigning its sales function ahead of the next phase of growth. With Thomas Kirchesch, an experienced sales and commercial expert, takes on the position of Sales Director SMG Advertising. In his new role, he will focus on expanding direct client business as well as further developing the existing portfolio.

Commenting on his appointment, Kirchesch said:

"The platforms of SMG Swiss Marketplace Group combine broad reach with genuine user intent. This is precisely what gives rise to advertising solutions that are particularly relevant and effective for clients. Our aim is to continue developing offerings that convince through quality, impact and exclusivity. I look forward to taking this forward together with the team."

Fotocasa names interim CCO from within Scout24 team

Fotocasa, part of Scout24, has named Janine Horn as the company's new interim Chief Commercial Officer.

Horn is a Scout24 veteran, having worked at Immoscout24 for over ten years. She pivots to the Spanish portal Fotocasa from her current position as Director of Sales at ImmoScout24 in Germany.

Commenting on LinkedIn, Horn said:

"Excited to step into the role of Interim Chief Commercial Officer at Fotocasa and contribute to the next phase of transformation and growth.

"I’m especially looking forward to working with the strong teams across Barcelona and Madrid to further evolve our commercial organization, create even more value for our customers, and continue raising the bar towards Scout24-level commercial excellence.

"The real estate industry is evolving fast, creating a unique opportunity to combine deep local market expertise with the innovation, performance mindset, and customer focus of the ImmoScout24 and Scout24 SE ecosystem."