People Roundup: Redfin, REA India, Scout24, Leboncoin, Aviv Group

Our first people roundup of 2026 starts with the end of an era at Redfin...

North America: Redfin CEO Kelman to leave after acquisition

Glen Kelman will leave Redfin this week, after 20 years at the company.

According to a report from Inman, Kelman will remain as an advisor until 1 April, 2026, before seeking a new role outside the real estate industry. Rocket CEO Varun Krishna will take over as head of Redfin on an interim basis while the search for a new CEO continues. Rocket acquired Redfin in 2025.

Kelman said:

"Redfin just completed our first phase as a Rocket company, integration. We’ll start the second, much-longer phase at next week’s all-company meeting, which is much-greater scale. Approaching that, I had to decide whether to be at Rocket for years...I want to try finding another mission-driven enterprise outside of real estate.

“I’m grateful that Rocket has turned out to be such a good owner of Redfin, and that Varun has been such a kind leader.

"I haven’t deserved to work with so many good people for so long, and now I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to repay you for it. Any one of you could show up at my door with a new baby or after a flat tire in the rain, or just to say hi. In my mind, you’ll say one word, 'Redfin', and I’ll say 'Come On In'.”

Asia: REA India Appoints Kapil Goswami as Chief Growth and Marketing Officer

REA India has appointed Kapil Goswami as chief growth and marketing officer, adding a senior consumer growth specialist to its leadership.

In a LinkedIn post announcing the hire, the Housing.com parent said: “We’re delighted to welcome Kapil Goswami as Chief Growth and Marketing Officer to REA India’s leadership team.”

Goswami brings more than two decades of experience spanning fintech, e-commerce, entertainment and technology. Most recently, he led consumer growth for the Paytm app and served as chief business officer for Paytm Movies, roles that placed him at the centre of one of India’s most competitive digital ecosystems.

Before Paytm, Goswami spent over ten years at Google, holding senior leadership roles across Asia Pacific. His remit included marketing analytics and attribution, as well as search sales strategy and operations across more than 15 international markets, blending data-led decision making with commercial execution.

REA India said Goswami will focus on “shaping our overall growth strategy across channels and customer segments, strengthening brand impact, and building a robust content charter.” The emphasis on content and brand suggests a renewed push to differentiate in an increasingly crowded Indian property portal landscape.

The appointment follows a period of leadership change at REA India, including a CEO transition earlier this year.

Europe: Scout24 Appoints Martin Mildner as CFO From March 2026

Scout24 has named Martin Mildner as its new Chief Financial Officer, with effect from 1 March 2026. He will join the Management Board and succeed Dirk Schmelzer, who is stepping down at his own request after more than six years in the role.

A company release highlighted Mildner’s experience as CFO of listed companies and his background in digital business models.

“With Martin Mildner, the Supervisory Board is gaining a highly qualified finance and capital market expert with extensive experience as CFO of listed companies,” said Hans-Holger Albrecht, Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

Albrecht also thanked Schmelzer for his contribution to Scout24’s strategic development, while CEO Ralf Weitz pointed to the group’s position as an innovation leader in European digital real estate marketplaces.

“Scout24 is one of Germany's most impressive digital companies with strong financial results,” Mildner said, adding that he was looking forward to working with the management team.

Leboncoin hires idealista veteran for its real estate vertical

Leboncoin has hired Nicolás García Benítez as its new general manager for real estate. Benítez announced he joined the company in September after 11 years at the Spain-based market-leading real estate portal idealista.

Speaking on LinkedIn, Benítez said:

"It has been an incredible experience to help idealista grow more than 10x and consolidate its leadership across Spain, Portugal and Italy, participate in three Private Equity operations and integrate several companies.

"In September, I joined Leboncoin.fr as General Manager of Real Estate, embarking on this new adventure at a fantastic company and one of the most loved and recognized brands in France."

Leboncoin is a leading horizontal marketplace in France, offering classifieds across segments including real estate, cars, electronics, jobs, and clothing.

Aviv Group appoints new Chief Human Resources Officer

Sanam Moayedi-Stummer has been named the new CHRO officer at Aviv Group, joining from Netflix.

Writing on LinkedIn, Moayedi-Stummer commented:

"Excited to announce that my new job and learning journey has begun at AVIV Group as CHRO Germany. Let's reshape the ecosystem of digital real estate Theo Mseka and Dr. Robert Wagner into something bigger, bolder and better than ever before!"

Moayedi-Stummer's career path includes stints at Coca-Cola, Brili Routines, and other consultancy roles.

Aviv Germany is part of the Aviv Group, which boasts a portfolio of big names like SeLoger in France, ImmoWelt Group in Germany and ImmoWeb in Belgium.