McGrath Estate Agents has recruited senior LJ Hooker executive Chris Mourd to their leadership team as industry heavyweights jostle for supremacy in an increasingly competitive corporate environment.

The appointment, announced on Monday, comes within weeks of Mr Mourd’s resignation as head of real estate and head of commercial at rival LJ Hooker.

“Chris [Mourd] brings valuable knowledge and experience to our leadership team at a time when the company and the industry is undergoing significant change,” said McGrath chief executive Cameron Judson. “Chris will work alongside our head of sales for McGrath’s company-owned offices Kon Stathopolous, John [McGrath] and myself to provide a fully aligned McGrath network.”

John McGrath founded McGrath in 1988. The group has 99 offices on Australia’s east coast.

Mr Mourd takes up the position in late June, replacing Gary Vouris. 

Mr Vouris was part of McGrath’s management team before the company float in late 2015 with recently departed Matt Lahood, John McGrath and former chief operating officer Geoff Lucas, the latter of whom is now at bread maker and cafe group Sonoma. 

Mr Mourd is also a former McGrath executive and a director of the Real Estate Institute of Australia. 

“Chris returning to McGrath signifies the strength of the McGrath brand and its culture,” said Mr Judson. “I’m delighted we have secured an executive of his calibre. He has close relationships with many of our franchisees as well as many of our sales agents. We believe we have a team with the firepower necessary to further grow our market share in each of our regions.”

McGrath has been pushing to open more offices nationally in recent years, with 12 new company-owned and franchise offices opened across NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT this financial year.

The industry’s franchise model has come under pressure in the past year as unprecedented low stock levels and heavy discounting in some agencies leave some agents out of pocket.

In a bid to counter an industry-wide movement of agents leaving the major franchises to go to smaller boutiques, McGrath launched a new remuneration and long-term wealth creation package called McGrath Future for high-performing agents.

New real estate brand The Agency also announced to the stock market on Monday the appointment of chief executive Matt Lahood, who until last year was McGrath’s head of sales.

The Agency is hoping to disrupt the current franchise model with a raft equity buy-in and wealth building measures, as well as a remuneration package that offers more lucrative splits to agents that start at 75 per cent and rise to 85 per cent, well up on the industry’s standard 50 per cent or 40 per cent splits.

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