The unfiltered truth about merging

From competitors to partners: The good, the bad and the unexpected

Author

Elite Agent Editor
September 20, 2025

THOUGHT LEADERS
REAL ESTATE REIMAGINED

This week: Samantha McLean sits down with Thomas McGlynn (CEO, BresicWhitney) and Randall Kemp (Founder, The Woollahra Group) for an unusually honest conversation about their successful merger – including how they navigated the unexpected challenges that made it work. Watch on YouTube, or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Most merger announcements read like press releases.

This isn't that conversation.

Three months after bringing together two of Sydney's most successful real estate businesses, Thomas McGlynn and Randall Kemp are doing something rare: sharing exactly how they made it work – challenges and all.

But here's what makes this conversation valuable - nobody is pretending a merger of this size is easy.

"Everyone's got a plan when they get in the ring with Mike Tyson," Thomas says, "until they get punched in the face and then all the plans go out the window."

Legislation changed mid-merger. Data migration became "labour-intensive". Not everyone made the transition – and both leaders explain why that's actually healthy. They share what they'd do differently, not because they failed, but because they’ve succeeded despite the surprises.

You can check out the full conversation here 😀 

Why hit play (40< min):

  • The exact 10-kilometre CBD strategy that's driving every decision

  • Why BresicWhitney doesn’t do shadow equity and makes shareholders write real cheques

  • The "Special Forces" team structure they didn't create but wish they had

  • How Randall kept his spring pipeline strong while everything was changing – including the five deals that proved the model works

Plus much more!

– Samantha McLean

Thought Leaders Podcast

P.S. Thomas's closing question might be the whole point: "If someone else can get you there quicker, will you let them?"

Listen/Watch now:

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