Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR) has welcomed Ash Anil to a new senior leadership role, Chief Membership Officer (CMO). With a background in customer experience, Ash is focused on identifying the tools, technology, systems, and process improvements needed to provide top-notch service to GVR members. This conversation explores his role and its impact on the member experience.
Key Takeaways
- Ash Anil, GVR's new Chief Membership Officer, brings a background in transformation and leadership across various industries.
- His personal experiences as both a buyer and seller in real estate fuel his passion for supporting realtors.
- The CMO role focuses on three core areas: enabling realtors for today, preparing them for tomorrow, and keeping them relevant to the public.
- Ash emphasizes a shift from a transactional mindset to a transformational one, moving from reactive to proactive and predictive service.
- Member engagement and feedback are paramount, with plans to evolve member programs and consultations.
- Success is defined by members seeing GVR as a source of their competitive edge, not just a service provider.
- The vision includes streamlining experiences, embracing new technologies, and supporting the holistic realtor journey.
Who is Ash Anil?
Ash Anil sees himself as a builder of ideas, connections, and trust. With experience across three continents and six industry verticals, including software, telecommunications, and public service, his common thread has been transformation and leadership. His move into real estate is personal, having been on both the buyer and seller sides of transactions. He recognizes the critical role realtors play as enablers and trusted advisors. Ash is passionate about advocating for and enabling realtors to do their best work, ensuring that those on the receiving end of transactions have a positive experience.
The Realtor's Journey and Industry Disruption
Ash notes that the real estate industry, rich in tradition, can sometimes be a challenge because of its pride and traditional nature. While carrying the banner of tradition, it's important to stay connected to other industry verticals where disruption has already occurred. Looking ahead, disruption is on the horizon, and preparation is key. Ash's vision as Chief Membership Officer for GVR centers on three main questions:
- How can we enable realtors for today?
- How can we prepare them for tomorrow?
- How can we keep them relevant in the public's eye as trusted experts?
The Role of Chief Membership Officer
Ash describes his position as being at the crossroads of three important areas: the public realm, the realtor realm, and the organization itself. His focus is on ensuring GVR remains relevant to the public, enabling its members (realtors) to perform at their best, and preparing them for an uncertain future. He also aims to serve the cause of bettering the real estate industry as a whole.
His team influences these outcomes through various functions:
- Member Relations: Serving realtors directly.
- Professional Development: Sharpening skills and knowledge.
- Product Team: Enhancing services like the MLS, integrating AI, and developing new features.
- Events Team: Organizing events for public and member engagement.
- Professional Standards: Advocating for the profession and its relevance.
This span of influence means Ash is often working with teams on MLS offerings, member relations, and professional standards to ensure the profession stands out and remains relevant long-term.
A Shift from Transaction to Transformation
While GVR has always been member-focused, the CMO role signifies a shift from a transactional mindset to one of transformation. Ash sees his role as a catalyst, building relationships with the broader industry at national, international, and provincial levels, as well as with municipalities. He aims to enrich the work and lives of GVR members and influence the public perception of organized real estate. This role is a commitment from GVR, demonstrating belief in its members and the profession, positioning GVR to lead rather than follow trends.
Early Experiences and Discoveries
Since joining in September 2024, Ash has found his initial months to be an amazing journey of discovery. Attending member mixers and Pack West, a major GVR conference, gave him a firsthand taste of the member base and the broader ecosystem. He describes his experience in three words: discovery, insights, and humility. He observed the pride and high emotional quotient of realtors, their curiosity about new market developments like AI and prop tech, and their determination to partner in the transformation journey. The openness and humility he encountered, despite the industry's rich history, were particularly striking.
Synergies Within the GVR Team
Ash has met with about 60% of his team members one-on-one and is impressed by their talent, humility, and experience. With tenures ranging from 3-4 years to over 34 years, some team members even started as interns. This diversity of experience and drive to serve members inspires Ash daily. As an extrovert, he draws energy from these interactions, which are crucial for driving transformation.
Understanding the Greater Vancouver Realtor Member
Ash likens a Greater Vancouver realtor member to a Swiss Army knife. They are analysts, emotional consultants, decision-making partners, and friends – all rolled into one. Having experienced real estate transactions from both sides, Ash understands that realtors are relied upon for expertise, emotional support, and everything in between, especially during emotional highs and lows. They are the trusted advisors who help clients navigate major life investments.
What Members Need Most
Based on conversations with nearly 100 members, Ash has identified three key needs: simplicity, clarity, and trusted advisory. GVR has been a good service organization, but it must evolve into a trusted advisor. This means moving from reactive to proactive and predictive service across all three realms: public, member, and organizational.
- Public Realm: Ensuring the profession remains relevant and advocating for its importance.
- Member Focus: Helping members become faster and more efficient, removing obstacles so they can focus on building relationships and serving clients.
- Organizational Partnership: Investing in partnerships with governments, support structures, and other real estate organizations to accelerate the mission.
Ash emphasizes using people, process, and technology lenses to achieve these goals.
Member Engagement and Feedback
Ash stresses that member engagement and feedback are paramount. He believes that culture eats strategy for breakfast, and business transformations often fail due to a lack of end-customer engagement. GVR plans to evolve its Voice of Member program and increase consultations with members before making key decisions. The organization is privileged to have an engaged member base that provides valuable feedback through surveys and events, which is incorporated into decision-making.
Defining Success
Success for Ash means evolving from a place where members say, "GVR provides me with a lot of services," to one where they say, "GVR is where I get my edge." This involves simplicity, ease of transaction, and forward-facing growth, including career development, niche learning, public visibility events, and better connections with other industry verticals like mortgage brokers and office administrators. The goal is to build a robust ecosystem that supports realtors.
The Vision for the Future
In the short term, the focus is on streamlining processes and creating seamless experiences to make members feel supported and heard. In the longer term, the vision embraces transformational changes, incorporating newer technologies and taking a holistic view of the realtor's lifecycle. GVR aims to preemptively embed itself to better enable realtors and contribute positively to their clients and communities.
A Message to Members
Ash is always eager to connect with members, as this is the best part of his day. Hearing their stories and needs provides the essential input for GVR to build upon and drive in the direction members desire. He and his team are driven to achieve success for realtors, recognizing their impact as essential community builders. Ash believes the real estate profession will remain respected and relevant as long as people need homes, their biggest investment.
Jesse Lme, host of The Critical Path, thanks Ash for his insights, highlighting Ash's embodiment of GVR's evolving member service experience. The focus is on innovative ways for members to interact, get what they need quickly, and have a positive experience. GVR is excited to deliver this enhanced service throughout 2025 and beyond. Jesse also thanks listeners for tuning into the first year of The Critical Path and wishes everyone a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
