Cullen Royle has joined the growing ranks of the Australian arm of the influential Forbes Global Properties (FGP) network, part owned by the Forbes Media empire.
Both companies specialise in the prestige and high net worth sectors and have a long history inking some of the biggest deals in their markets.
“This is a very natural fit for us both,” says Deborah Cullen. “Richard and I founded and built Cullen Royle to offer the world’s best marketing. Now we get to put the reach and influence of FGP around what we’ve created, and it makes for a very exciting prospect in the Australian market.”
Cullen Royle was founded three years ago by industry veterans Deborah Cullen and Richard Royle, stepping away from senior leadership roles at Knight Frank, Colliers and CBRE to create a wholly independent company specialising in the upper end of the lifestyle and rural sectors.
FGP has quickly cemented itself as a key figure in the trophy market since opening its doors in Australia in February 2022 under the leadership of high-profile trophy agents Ken Jacobs, Michael Gibson and Robert Fletcher and international property marketer Tracey Atkins. Last year it achieved the highest median price of any agency in both Sydney and Melbourne. Jacobs, who has set Australia’s annual price record ten times, was in the news earlier this month for selling the Point Piper trophy home ‘Notrella’, in the largest sale in Australia so far this year. While Gibson and Fletcher are currently marketing “The Toorak Estate” at $75million to $82million, which is seeking to set a new price record for Melbourne. A former broadcast journalist, Atkins puts the Forbes Media “lens” into the business by driving an editorial style approach to its campaigns. The calibre of the company’s marketing is held in high regard across the FGP network and sees Atkins and her film unit regularly travelling internationally to craft the campaigns of some of the world’s biggest and rarest homes, mimicking the Australian model.
Ken Jacobs, who sits on the international board of FGP, said Deborah and Richard are the ideal solution in a business that seeks to provide a full service to clients who often run extensive property portfolios.
“An increasingly significant number of our clients own, or seek to own, quality lifestyle and rural assets. It is a sector of the market that requires time, energy and deep understanding and having leading authorities like Deborah and Richard to lead this part of our business is exceptionally exciting.”
The co-principals draw on 30 years of collective experience in real estate and long-established relationships to provide a best in class concierge-style service for their buyer and seller clients.