Highland has announced the merger with Hanan Cawley and his team, marking a significant expansion into Queensland’s residential market.
Mr Cawley, who has achieved over $350 million in property sales in just eight years, will lead Highland’s Gold Coast operations as Managing Director.
The merger follows Highland’s initial expansion to Queensland in 2023 with their Surfers Paradise office, where they have already established a strong presence in project marketing.
Highland CEO David Highland said the move was a natural progression for the brand’s expansion along the Eastern Coast.
“We opened our Queensland office in 2023 to capitalise on what a lot of our clients were telling us – Queensland is the place to be,” Mr Highland said.
“The pandemic and flexible working arrangements for Sydney-siders saw a push for our local buyers wanting to make the move north.”
Mr Cawley began his real estate career in 2018 in a small town 125km outside Brisbane, quickly establishing himself as an agent of choice on the Gold Coast.
His reputation in the industry led to speaking engagements at the Australasian Real Estate Conference (AREC) in 2022, sharing the stage with keynote speaker Matthew McConaughy.
“Hanan is one of those agents that I’ve been watching for the past couple years as an up-and-comer in the industry,” Mr Highland said.
“He has been able to build something incredible in a short period and I could see a lot of similarities in how he established his agency as a leading brand on the Gold Coast to how Highland has grown in Greater Sydney and the Southern Highlands.”
The merger will combine Highland’s extensive network and systems with Mr Cawley’s local expertise and success in the Gold Coast market.
“It was the right time for us to expand our Queensland team, and Hanan was the right person to get on board to lead us into the future,” Mr Highland said.
