MAIN IMAGE: Jan le Roux, Rebosa CE and recently appointed director on the board of the NAR
Danie Keet
Jan le Roux, CE of Rebosa, has just been appointed to serve on the 2022 Board of Directors of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), America’s largest trade association, representing 1.5 million members globally. Founded in 1908, NAR is involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries and has grown to be one of the most influential real estate bodies in the world. Le Roux was chosen to serve as one of the international members at the request of the NAR president-elect Leslie Rouda Smith, to offer a unique and valuable perspective to the organisation.
Le Roux is a highly respected real estate practitioner, mentor, and leader whose significant contributions to the real estate industry over the past 38 years are notable. His knowledge of the real estate sector and acute business experience coupled with his current position as the Chief Executive of Rebosa, qualify him to provide responsive and active support to the NAR Board.
“I am honoured to serve on the board of an iconic global organisation who are dedicated to empowering property practitioners and where diversity and inclusion are integrated in their core values. My appointment will afford me the opportunity to work closely with the executive of the NAR and learn from them. NAR serve as a great example to us, and I am looking forward to being a part of this global community.
Le Roux also described his appointment as having the potential to be a catalyst for transformation. “Industry transformation is central to my agenda. We need to adopt new ways of working and reconsider our business models to create an inclusive and robust industry. Hence, I will use my term in office to garner assistance and support from the global NAR network and pursue opportunities for our industry. “
Le Roux’s pioneering influence on the industry has been enormous having included electronic publishing, mortgage origination and the establishment of property advertising publications. For the past few years in his various capacities, Le Roux has developed, and supported initiatives focused on previously disadvantaged individuals with a strong emphasis on wealth creation, capacity building and sustainability.
In 1993, Le Roux launched the ground-breaking PA Group Ltd (now Betterlife Group) which became SA’s largest mortgage originator and leading property media company (Neighbourhood, Property Professional and others).
A further brainchild of his was the empowerment vehicle, New Deal Trust (the object of which is black economic empowerment in the real estate industry) which acquired a 26% stake in the PA Group Ltd in 2004. The New Deal Trust was created as an entity specifically for the empowerment of historically disadvantaged estate agents.
Following the successful launch of the New Deal Trust, Le Roux then founded the Leapfrog Property Group in 2007. Leapfrog was South Africa’s first majority black-owned national residential real estate group with most of its ownership residing in the New Deal Trust and individual black property practitioners.
In March 2014 he took up the position of Chief Executive of Rebosa, a position he currently holds. He has successfully grown the Rebosa membership base to become the single most representative organisation in the sector with +- 16 000 agents employed by its members.
Le Roux’s daily interaction with estate agents, lobbying groups, civil society, and government together with his decades of experience and his lifelong dedication to the South African real estate industry makes him an obvious choice for this appointment.
