Boston, MA — (September 9, 2024) — SVN International Corp., a top ten global commercial real estate services organization, today announced the appointment of Lukas Krause as its Chief Executive Officer. Krause, a real estate veteran and entrepreneur, is set to steward SVN through its next phase of expansion and ongoing commitment to providing best-in-class service and solutions to clients worldwide.
Krause officially took up his role as CEO on August 19, 2024. However, he is no stranger to SVN, having served on its Board of Directors for years, a role he will continue to fulfill.
“SVN’s unique culture of collaboration made hiring from within a key priority,” said Mark Van Ness, SVN Founder. “Lukas has been an exceptional leader on our Board and is fully aligned with our values. His high-growth orientation, strong operational expertise, and servant-leader approach make him the ideal person to lead our 200+ owner/operators and 2,000-member team, helping them elevate their businesses and enhance client services.”
Krause is renowned for his ability to build world-class operations and expand support capabilities, resulting in industry-leading customer experiences. His track record of transforming companies across various sectors into industry leaders is well-established. Previously, Krause served as CEO of Real Property Management, where he scaled the company to manage over $13B in assets, President of National Corporate Housing, and CEO of SkyRun Vacation Rentals, where his expertise consistently fueled exceptional growth and enhanced client satisfaction.
At SVN, Krause is set to spearhead the company’s dynamic expansion efforts, positioning SVN as the premier top 5 commercial real estate services firm dedicated solely to the needs of clients, owner-operators, and the communities it serves. By focusing exclusively on these key stakeholders, SVN under Krause’s leadership will continue to foster unparalleled growth and innovation, free from the influence of public shareholders or private equity groups. He aims to accelerate SVN’s growth in market share, strengthen capabilities, support the owner-operators, and enhance property management and advisory services. This growth is driven by SVN’s mission to serve the underserved global commercial real estate communities through open collaboration, inclusivity, and innovation.
“Being able to change the face of an industry, in the way that we are doing at SVN, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Krause. “But ambitions like that aside, real estate is a people business, and SVN is a really special group of people. My role, primarily, will be to support collaboration within the system consisting of 2,000+ Advisors and staff, and amplify our capabilities and resources to help them better serve their clients and the commercial real estate industry as a whole.”
About SVN®
SVN® is a globally recognized top ten commercial real estate services organization with a shared vision of creating value with clients, colleagues, and communities. SVN® is comprised of over 2,000 Advisors and staff including more than 200 office owner/operators across the globe. For more information, visit www.svn.com. All SVN offices are independently owned and operated. To see if you qualify to become an SVN commercial real estate business owner, visit http://www.svn.com/franchise/.
Key Takeaways
SVN International has appointed Lukas Krause as Chief Executive Officer, marking a new leadership phase focused on expanding the company’s market share, strengthening support for owner‑operators and Advisors, and enhancing service capabilities across commercial real estate sectors. Krause officially began his role in August 2024 and continues a long‑standing relationship with SVN, including previous service on its Board of Directors.
What this leadership change means:
- Experienced strategic leader — Krause brings a strong track record growing and scaling real estate and franchising businesses.
- Expansion ambitions — SVN aims to accelerate growth in market share and client service offerings under his direction.
- Operational excellence — his prior roles include scaling major property management platforms and executive leadership across real estate sectors.