Dan White is no stranger to the ocean, escaping to remote surf breaks in Indonesia every year for more than two decades.
It’s become a ritual for Mr White, who is the managing director of Australia’s largest real estate company, Ray White, and the fourth generation to helm the family business.
“Surfing has always been my thing,” Mr White told Realestate.com.au.
“Being away on a boat trip and doing something you love is a pretty special way to reset things.
“It’s a great way to have an information detox.”
For Mr White, surfing is more than just a hobby – it’s a way to disconnect from the high-pressure demands of running a company that has more than 1,000 offices globally and sold more than $95 billion worth of property in the latest financial year.
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Dan White became managing director of the Ray White group in 2015. Picture: Supplied
Surfing also offers lessons when it comes to life and leadership more broadly.
“You have to be prepared to take a few risks and have a crack,” he said, an approach that has helped guide his career in the real estate industry.
Early days
Mr White’s journey to the top job has been driven by curiosity, ambition, and a deep respect for family legacy.
As a fourth-generation member of the White family, he didn’t immediately join the family business.
Instead, he carved out his own path, gaining experience outside the real estate industry.
After studying commerce and law, Mr White spent three years at Macquarie Bank in its listed property trust division and two years at the former accounting firm Arthur Andersen.
Mr White with friends and family on a surfing trip in the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia (L-R Xavier Plunkett, HTL Property; Gavin Ottaway, Ray White Sutherland Shire; Andrew Jackson, HTL Property; Dan White, Ray White Managing Director; Jackson Rameau, RWC Gold Coast; Jemima White, RW Capital and Paul Butler, RWC Noosa & Sunshine Coast). Picture: Supplied.
Mr White said working outside of industry in those early days offered different perspectives and learnings that he brought back to the family business.
In 2002, Mr White founded RW Capital, a property investment firm that manages investments for the White family and other clients.
The venture marked the beginning of his deeper involvement in the Ray White group, where he eventually took on leadership roles in the commercial network and prestige sales.
In 2015, he succeeded his father as managing director, becoming the custodian of a business that has been in Australia’s real estate industry for more than a century.
Looking after a legacy
For Mr White, leading Ray White is about more than just managing a business, it’s about being a custodian of a legacy.
“The role of a custodian is to improve it and ensure it’s better for the next generation,” he said.
“The great joy is knowing that so many people have worked so hard over so many years to get the group to this spot, and being able to add to that is a real thrill.”
It’s also about creating opportunities for the people within the organisation.
Mr White with his parents Rosemary White and Brian White AO. Picture: Supplied.
One of Mr White’s goals as a leader has been fostering a culture of curiosity and ambition.
“The story only gets better if we’re providing for our team and finding good opportunities for them to grow and enjoy their roles,” he said.
“Curiosity has been a big phrase that we’ve used in the group.
“Being curious means being open to issues and problems, being able to share them, and staying with the problem until the answer comes forward.”
Another core value at the company has been ambition, not just in terms of business growth, but in helping individuals achieve their full potential.
“Ambition for us is about people believing in themselves and creating the best opportunities for themselves and their families,” Mr White said.
That said, the real estate industry is notoriously challenging, with no guarantees of success from one year to the next.
For Mr White, staying motivated during tough times comes down to taking responsibility.
“You only get a good year if you’re prepared to work at it, take your chances, and have a crack,” he said.
“People need to buy, sell and rent property, so there’s heaps of opportunity in it.
“Realising that the industry is challenging but also extremely rewarding and resilient is key.”
Looking to the future
Mr White is focused on making 2025 the best year yet for the company.
Mr White and his team are busily organising the upcoming Connect conference, a major event held every three years that brings together thousands of members of the Ray White network.
Mr White addresses the crowd at the 2022 Connect conference. Picture: Supplied
He is also passionate about improving the real estate industry’s standing in the community and believes that greater transparency and access to information are key to building trust.
“The more informed people are, the more confident they are to transact and look at the market,” he said. “That’s making the industry much sharper.”
And of course, there’s surfing.
Mr White’s daughter joined him on his most recent annual surfing trip.
“It was a great way for us to spend time together,” he said. “Passing that experience down is really special.”
For a leader who is a custodian of the family business, it’s a fitting sentiment.
Whether in business or in life, Mr White isn’t just riding the waves – he’s doing his bit to shape the future, one generation at a time.
