Property may not have been the most predictable market in recent times, but 30-year-old Joshua Kersten emerged a winner when the results of the Integral Energy Illawarra Business Awards were tallied. Kersten, of real estate firm Raine & Horne Wollongong, beat a hot field of six finalists in a wide range of industries to become the IMB Banking & Financial Services Young Business Person of the Year for 2007.
The judging panel for the awards run by the Illawara Business Chamber gave Kersten high marks for his leadership skills, the provision of mentoring programs, brand awareness, incentive programs, local employment and recent sales. The fact Kersten is a principal of the business at such a young age also helped sway the judges.
No stranger to major challenges and high achievement, Kersten, a former junior world champion and Commonwealth Games cycling medalist, is translating many of the skills learned in sporting competition to the commercial world. His business career actually began in executive performance training, coaching some of Australia’s leading executives in life balance.
In a tough real estate market Kersten, however, is quick to point out his most recent achievement isn’t his alone. He attributes the “brilliant” sales and property management results substantially to the efforts of colleagues in his 18-strong team, which operates across residential sales and rentals and commercial sales and leasing.
