Changes are happening in c-suite of Move, Inc, the parent company of Realtor.com. After over three years at the helm, David Doctorow is stepping down as Move’s CEO, according to an announcement on Thursday.
Damian Eales, who currently serves as the executive vice president and global head of transformation for News Corp, Move’s parent company, has been named as Move’s new CEO, effective June 12.
According to the announcement, Doctorow will remain to assist Eales in the transition over the coming weeks.
“I am proud of the many successes we achieved at Realtor.com since February 2020, and greatly value having had the chance to work with the best team in the digital real estate industry. I believe this is the right time for me to embark on a new chapter in my career, and I look forward to working with Damian as he begins his new role,” Doctorow said in a statement. “Today the real estate market is experiencing new challenges, but I am confident the people of Realtor.com® have what it takes to continue growing and empowering the agents, brokers and other customers to grow, while empowering consumers with confidence as they turn to us to make their dreams of a new home come true.”
Under Doctorow’s leadership, Move achieved record revenues and reported record audience and consumer satisfaction at Realtor.com. Doctorow also helped complete the integration of OpCity into Realtor.com business and oversaw the acquisitions of Avail and UpNest, according to the release.
“We are all very grateful to David for the many ways he helped grow Realtor.com, including through the acquisition and integration of key assets, the launch of innovative products, the expansion of offerings in rentals and new construction, and the development of sell-side products,” Robert Thomson, the chief executive of News Corp, said in a statement. “It was not long after David started that the world was thrust into the pandemic, but he and everyone at Realtor.com® responded professionally, and the business managed to expand revenues and audience, gaining share despite the obstacles of that era.”
Prior to serving as the executive vice president at News Corp, Eales served as chief marketing officer and chief operating officer at News Corp Australia, where he led commercial, consumer, digital product and publishing divisions. In addition, his partnership with REA Group helped realestate.com.au maintain and grow its standing as the top digital real estate site in Australia, according to the release.
Before joining News Corp in 2013, Eales was the CMO at Westpac Retail & Business Bank, and spent over a decade at Australian premium retailer David Jones as a group general manager in financial services, marketing and operations, and supply chain logistics and procurement.
“It is an honor to be offered the opportunity to lead Move, Inc. and Realtor.com. Helping customers find a home is uniquely purposeful, and I look forward to working with the talented Move team as we seek to expand reach and enhance value to agents, brokers and consumers in the vital digital real estate market,” Eales said in a statement. “Having worked closely with REA, and through my exposure to digital transformation and the creation of strategic partnerships, I am confident that we can leverage the assets of REA and News Corp and build a bright future for this pioneering real estate leader, Realtor.com.”
Move, Inc. and Realtor.com made headlines earlier this year when news broke that commercial real estate giant CoStar was in talks with News Corp to acquire Move Inc. for a rumored $3 billion. The deal was called off in late February when CoStar told investors and analysts in its fourth-quarter 2022 earnings call that “at this point, CoStar Group is not acquiring Realtor.com.”
