The truth is, company Directors Simon Damerell and Gower Buchanan had been looking for someone to take on this pivotal new role for a while, but the right person hadn’t been available – until now.

“Simon and I were unanimous in our belief that it was vitally important for us to find someone who aligned with our company’s day-to-day values,” says Buchanan. “We wanted someone who would be a good fit in terms of culture, work ethic, and, critically, had a proven track record around supporting and nurturing sales people.” 

“We’d been wanting to create this role for about two years, but we hadn’t found the right person,” adds Damerell. “That was up until very recently, when Belinda Henson became available.”

Buchanan goes onto say that their decision to create this new role was threefold. “Primarily, it’s about growing our business and sending out a message to the marketplace that we’re serious about supporting our agents in this changing market. Secondly, we wanted to put new structures and protocols in place – ultimately in the quest to get the best possible outcomes for our clients. And thirdly, we needed someone to support Simon and myself as we continue to grow the business.”

Henson has over 20 years experience in the real estate industry, during which time she has elevated herself to the very top of her profession. She began her career in the mid 90s, up in Northland, before returning to her native Auckland in 2011, by which time she had shifted her focus from directly selling property to managing and mentoring teams of agents. 

Simon Damerell, Belinda Henson, and Gower Buchanan

“I’m all about people and helping them be the very best they can be,” she says.

“What I bring to Ray White Damerell Group is experience and success with helping people grow. It’s about good communication and having respect for each other within that team environment. But I am also conscious that the agents all have their own businesses to run.”

Ultimately, Henson says, it’s about ensuring everyone is aligned and heading in the same direction, both in terms of the company culture and client experience.

“At Ray White Damerell Group, we are driven by the quest to provide exceptional service for our vendors,” says Buchanan. “We also want to surround ourselves with people who want to be the best they possibly can, and we do this by attracting and engaging with other high performers.”

“It’s about offering safety and performance,” explains Buchanan.

“Safety, in that when one of our agents signs up an agency agreement, drafts a clause, or does a sale-and-purchase agreement, we have a safety net that sits below all those activities, through our in-house compliance team. And in terms of performance, we have a set of tools available for all our agents that allows them to stay in touch with potential clients, to provide up to date information and social content to grow a meaningful relationships, so that when a homeowner decides to sell or buy, then we are the people they naturally contact to help them on that sales journey.”

And it is these existing systems and layers that attracted Henson to joining the group in the first place. “It’s a very organised and professional structure behind the scenes, here at Ray White Damerell Group, and that backs up what needs to happen at the coalface. It’s about keeping people safe – our agents and our clients. And I think we’re pretty unique in that,” she says.