George Azar

Spear’s Review

Having previously acquired the Sotheby’s real estate franchises for Dubai and Saudi Arabia, George Azar took control of UK Sotheby’s International Realty in January 2023 and immediately set about transforming it. What was once a somewhat sleepy boutique with just a handful of agents and a modest share of the London market has been supercharged by Azar with a vast investment that was used to unashamedly poach top agents from rival firms, luring them with lavish remuneration packages that far outstrip their deals with previous employers. 

The brokers who have jumped ship to join the souped-up outfit stand to earn £400,000 in a single year if they generate £1 million in revenue for the business (which could be achieved on £50 million in sales at a commission of 2 per cent). Several of the most prolific signings – such as Marcus O’Brien (formerly of Beauchamp Estates) and Becky Fatemi (whose firm Rokstone ‘merged’ with Azar’s business) – might earn considerably more.

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