Location, location, leadership: My unlikely career in real estate

When Sven Odia began his career at Engel & Völkers, the most important items in his office were a fax machine and a photocopier, which he used to create exposés by hand. Twenty-seven years later, Sven Odia has achieved what many dream of: starting as an apprentice at Engel & Völkers, he has had a remarkable career in the real estate industry and has worked his way to the top of the company. He took on responsibility early on and started as an entrepreneur within the company. His masterpiece: building the Engel & Völkers licensing business abroad. Odia has thus played a decisive role in shaping the fortunes of the real estate company: from its beginnings in Mallorca to its expansion into the USA - with courage, vision and hard work, Odia conquered new markets.
In his book, he shows what good leadership is all about and wants to empower people to write their own success stories. His credo: people don't follow brands or companies, they follow people! A performance-enhancing corporate culture only works if it is exemplified by management day after day. Odia openly and honestly shows how he has dealt with crises, what an immensely important role culture plays in a company, and how executives effectively initiate real change. A must-read for all executives and those who aspire to write their own success story.

At the age of just 21, Sven Odia decided to strike out on his own as an entrepreneur. Before even completing his training as a real estate agent with Engel & Völkers, he went to Mallorca to set up as a licensed partner of the company. Three years later, having made a success of the business in Mallorca, Odia founded Engel & Völkers International with Christian Völkers, which under his leadership grew to become one of the strongest players in the real estate industry worldwide. A particularly notable achievement was expansion into the United States, where Engel & Völkers became the first non-American company to establish a lasting presence in an extremely competitive market.
Odia brings an unparalleled wealth of experience in the real ­estate industry and expansion into over 30 countries, having spent over 25 years at Engel & Völkers, most recently as Global CEO and President.
Today, Sven Odia is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Spain ­Sotheby's International Realty and a member of the Advisory Board of the e-learning company PINKTUM.