Gavin Rubinstein hits Elite in six weeks – and a jersey worth borrowing

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Winning is just the beginning for Barfoot & Thompson

Peter Thompson didn't call last week's Auckland gathering a celebration lap. Fresh off honours as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, he used the room of 1,500 to lay out where Barfoot & Thompson still has ground to cover – commercial, rural, projects – and reminded everyone that 22,000 rental properties under management is a floor, not a ceiling. More here

Gavin Rubinstein hits Elite status six weeks into the financial year

For Gavin Rubinstein, the milestone sits alongside a bigger number: 13 straight years of Chairman's Elite recognition now within reach, a feat only five others in the network share. He built TRG from a boutique start-up in 2019 into a business spanning Rose Bay, Woollahra, Hunters Hill and Dubai. "On the days we miss, we learn and try to evolve our practice moving forward to ensure we continue to deliver premium outcomes for the people that we represent," Gavin said. More here

Beba Ramic joins The Agency WA

For Beba Ramic, real estate has always come down to people first – a philosophy shaped by her move from Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearly 20 years of building relationships across Perth's western suburbs. She's now settling into The Agency WA, still working the Mosman Park patch she knows best. More here

Geoff Grist joins Harcourts after 21 years in Mosman and Neutral Bay

Twenty-one years of buying, selling and managing property on the Lower North Shore has given Geoff Grist a level of local knowledge you can't fake. He's carrying that experience, and a two-decade habit of donating a Backpack Bed with every appraisal, into his new chapter at Harcourts. More here

McGrath partners with Hodges to expand Melbourne footprint

A 172-year run makes Hodges the oldest name in Victorian real estate, and now it carries a national badge alongside it as Hodges McGrath. John McGrath called the tie-up a chance to "preserve their great heritage whilst integrating their team into" McGrath's network, with Knight Frank's global reach thrown in for Bayside and Rye clients. More here

Ripple Wu brings Box Hill team to Jellis Craig

Box Hill's transformation into one of Melbourne's busiest metropolitan centres has plenty to do with why Jellis Craig wanted a foothold there. Ripple Wu, recognised for years on Australia's Top Women in Real Estate list, is the one delivering it, opening a second Whitehorse office and bringing her established local portfolio with her. More here

REIQ names 40 real estate professionals as Fellows

Forty Queensland professionals have picked up the FREIQ post-nominal this year, from Dean Yesberg in Brisbane's north to Steve Cordenos in Cairns. The REIQ Board reserves Fellowship for members who've clocked 15 years and kept a clean conduct record, with Gold Coast names like Ailsa Gould and Philip Game among the largest group honoured. More here

LATEST ROLES

Ray White South Australia and Northern Territory celebrate 2026 award winners

Justin Kurenda and Adam Keane have spent years building Ray White Glenelg | Brighton into the outfit that swept Adelaide's stage this month, and CEO Matthew Lindblom credited their "courage and conviction" in charting the office's growth. Justin called the recognition "extremely humbling," pointing to the team behind it: "You guys have got us to where we are today." More here

Highland Group honours staff at Crown Sydney awards night

Crown Sydney's Glittering Pearl Ballroom set the scene for Highland Group's tenth-anniversary-style celebration of loyalty and progress, with long-serving staff and rising performers both recognised on the night. Group General Manager John Schwarzer, Group Sales Manager Jaymie Kelly, Double Bay director Bill Malouf and COO Laura McKay were among those on hand as the group marked the culture behind its results. More here

Brisbane agent's charity event aims to raise $104,000 again

Sonya Treloar has spent nearly three decades turning a personal tragedy into practical support for grieving families, and her Hummingbird House fundraiser has become a fixture on Brisbane's giving calendar. This year's 25 September event will include first-hand accounts from families the hospice has cared for. She said one guest had written after losing a baby on the same date last year. "They want to be in the room to celebrate what Hummingbird House did for them and their family during such a difficult and sad time," Sonya said. More here

LJ Hooker names A Home for All primary charity partner

A four-year commitment now sits behind the partnership: LJ Hooker's network is putting its fundraising and volunteering weight squarely behind A Home for All through to 2028. Simon Heathcote takes the reins on coordinating that effort, with October's A Night Without Home campaign the first major test. More here

Building success through reputation in Leongatha

A decade in and Matt Redmond still isn't chasing appraisals – the phone does the work for him. Since joining Area Specialist fifteen months ago, he's leaned into a network of 14 agents stretching from Korumburra to Pakenham for ideas and shared leads, while keeping his Saturdays for opens and his year dotted with proper breaks. More here

Ray White Goulburn staffer to shave head for grandfather

When Robert's diagnosis came to light this year, Tamika Straney turned the news into action rather than sitting with it. Come 23 October, the Ray White Goulburn team member will front up at the office to have her head shaved in front of colleagues and locals who've helped push her fundraising past $6,000 on the way to $10,000. More here

O'Brien network honours top performers at annual gala awards

Beyond the headline results, O'Brien's gala also recognised the network's regional momentum – Warragul took out Number One Growth with a 50 per cent lift in sales revenue, David Clark earned the Agent Growth Award for more than 60 per cent growth, and Bairnsdale was named Franchise of the Year. Jae Lukey and Kayn Luff also picked up honours for business development and leadership respectively. More here

ALSO, DID YOU MISS…

• Jenna Wallace promoted to lead Knight Frank occupier platform
• Chantelle Walker and Derek Seth open Century 21 Rise in Gympie
• Cunninghams welcomes Claudia Macdonald to strengthen Forest area presence
• Patrick Bird named Elders NSW rural real estate manager
• Josh Rutman, Jesse Radisich join Knight Frank's Melbourne team

And finally…