The Rise Initiative, the registered charity dedicated to improving mental health and wellness in the real estate industry, is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Board of Directors.
This accomplished group brings diverse expertise along with a shared passion and commitment for helping everyone in the real estate industry to perform and feel at their best both personally and professionally.
In an industry that deals with many unique challenges, The Rise Initiative wants to continue providing the tools and education around the connection to mental, physical and emotional health and people enjoying their roles.
The new board members are:
- Nick West: Chairperson (Nelson Alexander)
- John Cunningham: Immediate Past President/Chairperson (Cunninghams Real Estate)
- David Bowie: Treasurer (MRI Software)
- Sadhana Smiles: (REIP)
- Charlotte Pascoe: (Stockdale & Leggo)
- Dominic Thompson: (Macquarie Bank)
- John Foong: (Domain)
The new directors replace the former board which included Dr Sarah Bell, James Keenan, James Redfern, Sally O’Connell and Angus Ferguson in addition to John Cunningham and David Bowie who are serving for a second term.
The Rise Initiative was founded by Chris Hanley in 2019. Chris served as President from 2019 – 2022 and continues to provide enormous support & guidance to the RISE Initiative. The RISE Initiative and the support it provides to many leaders and employees in our Industry, would not exist today without the determination & vision of Chris.
“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Chris and the former board for their incredible service and pioneering work in creating awareness of the importance of good mental health & wellbeing within the real estate industry and putting it onto the agenda,” said Nick West, incoming Chair of The Rise Initiative.
“Their dedication led to the successful launch of the Real Care app, a free tool that has put mental wellness care into the pockets of nearly 10,000 people in the real estate industry. Their commitment to making free counselling sessions available through the app has been a lifeline for many in our industry.”
Nick said the new board reflected a strong mix of both real estate professionals and industry partners with established credentials in both board governance and leadership as well as a deep commitment to the Rise Initiative vision.
“A huge amount of energy and commitment went into launching the Rise Initiative from the original board and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to their visionary leadership, their sense of purpose and hands-on work that got Rise off the ground,” Nick said.
“The new board is committed to growing and expanding the incredible work they did through new outreach programs, webinars and training, leadership events and working with industry on more exciting initiatives to expand our reach.”
“We want everyone in our industry to feel that they can be successful in their own right and be aspirational about what they can achieve. The RISE Initiative aims to provide the tools along with the education programs to support these objectives for everyone”
The new, updated Real Care app is scheduled for release in July and includes a new white-label option for major groups and franchises.
The Rise Initiative has also launched new monthly webinars to deep-dive into issues that support wellness, performance and resilience and provides speakers and coaches for industry events.
We are so excited about the year ahead and what can be achieved by working together.