Raine & Horne appoints first-ever chief strategy officer to spearhead innovation and growth

Benjamin McDonald | Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) | Raine & Horne

In a landmark move, leading Australasian real estate group Raine & Horne has appointed Benjamin McDonald as its first-ever Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) for Australasia, reinforcing the real estate super brand’s focus on business transformation, innovation, and long-term growth.

Mr McDonald will lead the development and execution of Raine & Horne’s strategic direction as the brand accelerates its evolution in the competitive Australasian real estate market.

“Benjamin’s appointment marks a significant step in the ongoing transformation of our business in Australia and New Zealand,” said Chris Nicholl, CEO of Raine & Horne.

“Benjamin brings a wealth of strategic and operational experience in Australasia and North America, and we’re excited about the energy and ruthless dedication he’ll bring to this new role.”

Strategic track record spanning Australasia and North America

Mr McDonald has more than a decade of strategic leadership experience across the real estate, energy, urban development, and transport sectors in Australasia and North America.

Most recently, he served as Chief Strategy Officer at Storz Power in the United States, where he secured major investment support that enabled the energy technology firm to restructure its development operations and invest in battery energy storage software, thereby enhancing customer engagement and supporting growth targets.

Previously, Mr McDonald was the Chief Strategy Officer at Arealytics Australia, a leading commercial property data firm. During his tenure at Arealytics, Mr McDonald secured a strategic equity investment from a top 20 ASX-listed company. He also negotiated a mutual data-sharing agreement, which delivered operational runway and enhanced talent retention.

He also played a lead role in helping Arealytics gain approval from the Victorian Government as a licensed data broker, creating a complementary income stream to the core SaaS-based monthly recurring revenue model. This strategic move drove market penetration, underpinned a 30% operating margin by year five, with a forecasted full payback within three years of launch.

Earlier in his career, Mr McDonald held senior executive roles with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, including Head of Strategy and Insights for the Asia Pacific region and Corporate Affairs Manager for Australasia.

New CSO to drive strategic vision and innovation at Raine & Horne

As Chief Strategy Officer at Raine & Horne, Mr McDonald will oversee a broad portfolio that includes business innovation, cross-functional collaboration, and enterprise-wide transformation.

Mr McDonald will also play a crucial role in identifying growth opportunities, managing change, and ensuring Raine & Horne remains at the forefront of the rapidly evolving real estate sector.

“Raine & Horne has an incredible 142-year legacy and an ambitious vision for the future,” said Mr McDonald.

“My focus will be on aligning strategic initiatives with that vision—whether that’s exploring new growth avenues, driving innovation across our network, or enhancing how we collaborate across departments and the delivery of value to our clients and principals.”

Mr McDonald’s responsibilities as Raine & Horne’s CSO will include:

• Developing and overseeing the execution of Raine & Horne’s long-term strategic plan

• Leading key transformation initiatives across the business

• Driving cross-functional collaboration to ensure alignment on strategic initiatives

• Managing key stakeholder relationships across executive and board levels, and external partners

• Driving innovation and change management programs to adapt to market dynamics

• Monitoring strategic performance and adjusting plans in response to results and feedback

• Building and developing high-performing cross-functional teams

  
  
  
  

Mr Nicholl added, “Benjamin’s appointment is part of our broader strategy to continue to grow the business and ensure we’re positioned to deliver exceptional results for our principals, agents, property managers and partners well into the future.”