People Roundup: REA Group, Hometime, Avito

This week's people roundup features three big hirings in Australia and Russia. We'll start Down Under...

REA Group appoints new Chief People and Sustainability Officer

REA Group, the owner of several market leading real estate portals in Australia and beyond, has appointed Elisa Nerone as the Group's new People and Sustainability Officer.

Nerone will be responsible for the Group’s people strategy, leading teams across business partnering, talent acquisition, remuneration, organisation development, HR operations, community partnerships and sustainability.

She joins REA with more than 20 years’ experience in people and culture across manufacturing, mining, financial services and technology.

Nerone said:

"I am inspired by REA’s purpose-led strategy and I am delighted to join the team in such an exciting week with our Group-wide Kick Off event today.

"Embracing innovation and diverse perspectives is essential to maximising growth opportunities and enhancing the capabilities of a team and I look forward to helping drive REA’s high performing culture."

Hometime appoints new COO

Hometime, the Australia-based short-term rental property management company and marketplace has appointed ex-AirBnb executive Aiau Yong to the newly established position of Chief Operating Officer (COO).

As COO, Yong will oversee Homestime's organic growth and acquisitions strategy after the firm closed a AU$10 million growth funding round earlier this year.

Yong's spent six years at Airbnb as the supply lead for Australia and New Zealand, before moving to his previous role as general manager for the Asia-Pacific region at PayCargo.

Avito Appoints Pavel Morozov as Head of M&A

Leading Russian horizontal marketplace Avito has made Pavel Morozov its head of Mergers and Acquisitions. Morozov's role involves identifying new growth opportunities to support Avito's long-term goals across its five business areas: Goods, Auto, Real Estate, Jobs, and Services.

According to Avito’s managing partner Sergei Piven, M&A is crucial for Avito's growth. "By investing in tech companies, we gain innovative insights and integrate new solutions, allowing us to scale and accelerate development," said Piven.

Morozov brings over 17 years of experience in IT investments, having completed over 40 deals. He previously worked at VTB Capital and Troika Dialog, and led the venture business at Sk Capital.

Avito aims to transition from a marketplace to a "digital cradle of micro-entrepreneurship," supporting the growing e-commerce sector in Russia, which now has nearly 240 million unique buyers and 200,000 new micro-businesses joining last year.