JCU Institute for Entrepreneurship Welcomes RE/MAX Chairman and CEO Dario Castiglia
RE/MAX CEO Dario Castiglia
In a packed Aula Magna Regina, John Cabot University welcomed RE/MAX Italia Chairman and CEO Dario Castiglia for a lecture sponsored by the Entrepreneurship Institute and titled “RE/MAX: A Successful Business Model.” An Economics graduate from the University of Toronto, Dr. Castiglia spent several years living in the USA and Canada, and set up his own company in Toronto in 1984. In 1995 he became CEO of Proximm S.p.A. and brought to Italy the RE/MAX brand.
After a brief introduction from President Franco Pavoncello, Dr. Castiglia spent the first half of the lecture giving the audience an overview of the real estate market, focusing mainly on Italy but including references to the global situation. Explaining concepts in a very concise, clear but engaging manner, he gave a comprehensive, well-structured analysis. Showing how the market tends to be cyclical, he showed where the situation stands and looked at some of the possible strategies to address the challenges of the current market, examining both the opportunities and dangers.
In the second part of the lecture, Dr. Castiglia presented the history of RE/MAX, founded in 1973 in Denver, Colorado, and listed just some of the achievements gained by the company and its Italian branch. He described the company’s core philosophy – win/win – according to which agents benefit from increased autonomy and independence, and receive a “maximum commission” for their efforts, setting the company apart from many competitors in the field.
Under Dr. Castiglia’s leadership, RE/MAX was able to buck the heavily declining trend in the Italian real estate market, managing yearly positive growth in the number of transactions completed over the past five years.
RE/MAX is considered a premier player in Italy, with over 1500 affiliates and 200 agencies. Some of the milestones and accolades achieved in recent years include ranking among the top 35 companies in Italy by the Great Place to Work® Institute in 2009 and among the top 15 in 2010, and recognition as “Best and best known brand in Italy” by Superbrands magazine.
