*Michael Bonello was awarded The Economic Update's Top Entrepreneur Award in 2012 and the Real Estate CEO of the Year title at the Malta Real Estate, Property, and Development Awards in 2021.*

In the dynamic world of real estate, Alliance Real Estate Group has emerged as a trailblazer, defying industry norms and setting new benchmarks for success. Under the visionary leadership of its award-winning CEO, Michael Bonello, the Group has experienced unprecedented growth, expanding its footprint from seven founding branches to thirty and more than tripling the number of property advisors on its books to over 350, redefining Malta's real estate corporate landscape.

Bold decisions for change

Alliance's journey began with a bold decision to break free from the constraints of an international franchise model. CEO Michael Bonello shares that the decision for independence was driven by a realisation of serious master franchise shortcomings that remained unaddressed. With unanimous support from his team, this pivotal moment established an independent Maltese real estate brand and marked a significant turning point in the company's history.

Strategic planning and seamless transition

Its first year was dedicated to meticulous planning and execution. With the support of CFO Leslie Xerri, the guidance of business advisor Ivan Bartolo and legal expertise from Dr. Norval Desira, a seamless transition was set in motion. Noteworthy was the strategic investment in human and technical resources, including dedicated training for property advisors led by CPO Frank Borg and the formation of an in-house compliance unit headed by MLRO Mario Gauci and Ritianne Spiteri.

Its newly recruited CMO Pierre Mizzi concluded the branding design, website and social media channel setups, whilst Group COO Gordon Attard handled the technical side of the transition. "We planned to switch off our old system on a Friday and switch on a fully-fledged and operational replacement with thousands of active property listings by the following Monday morning. Looking back, it's amazing how everything worked so smoothly, and the number of new listings kept increasing exponentially.", explains Bonello.

At the time, Alliance operated seven founding branches: Alliance Tigne, managed by Gordon Valentino; Alliance Strand, managed by Angelo D'Arrigo and George Tabone; Alliance Marina, managed by Fabien Debono, and Raphael Degabriele, Nicky Sammut, Paul Sammut and Ana-Marija Zafvirovska and Francois Spagnol managing Alliance Swieqi, Alliance Pender, Alliance San Gwann and Alliance Santa Venera respectively.

Alliance management team from left: Frank Borg, Naomi Ver Elst Micallef, Pierre Mizzi, Gordon Attard, Leslie Xerri, Michael Bonello, Mario Gauci, Abigail Simiana, Jeremy Borg Grech and Ritianne Spiteri.

Letting Division: A strategic launch

Alliance Letting was a strategic move 18 months after the main brand launch, aligning with completing a non-compete period. Abigail Simiana, appointed as Letting COO, played a pivotal role in rapidly building a robust letting team, positioning Alliance as a significant player in the letting sector.

Franchising: Uniting former competitors

The introduction of franchising in March 2022 marked a paradigm shift for Alliance. What sets Alliance apart is the unique approach of bringing former competitors together as part of the same team. CEO Michael Bonello expresses pride in achieving what no Maltese brand has done before, creating a united front from individuals who were once competitors.

"That first franchising announcement in March 2022 was the culmination of months of hard work to structure an equitable franchising model that could take us to the next level of our corporate growth in year three", he explains.

"First to join were Alliance Balzan, run by Jamie and Lorraine Dimech and Alliance Attard, run by Erika Deguara and Nikki Vella Petroni. These were two completely new localities for us to operate from, and whilst we already had our flagship Alliance branch in Sliema, newcomers such as Alliance by Thirty-Four, run by Adrian Friggieri and Gordon Cachia and Alliance by Fine Homes, run by Andrew Debono, who is also based in Sliema, demonstrated that successful synergies can be found with people who were previously competitors. One franchise office we had opened in the Sliema Fortizza area was forced to shut down due to serious failures to adhere to our standards", he continues.

Ina Pavlova was another well-established real estate company that decided to rebrand its premises to Alliance. Her team opened Alliance by Steps Properties in St Julian's in June of that year. Bonello explains how those first six franchises proved that the franchising concept made for a stronger Alliance ready to continue accepting more people who wanted to be part of the growing Alliance family.

Working with developers

To enhance relationship-building and gain deeper insights into the requirements of property developers, Sandro Chetcuti was invited to join the company's board of directors immediately following the conclusion of his presidency at the Malta Developers Association in 2021. Notably, several prominent residential projects currently underway have incorporated pertinent suggestions from Alliance, thereby enhancing the quality of their developments to serve the end buyers better.

Phenomenal growth in 2023

With a growth mindset launched at the company's annual meeting, an astounding expansion programme led to Alliance opening seventeen new branches in a few months this year. Spearheaded by the head of franchises, Naomi Ver Elst Micallef, with the support of a strong C-Level team, the growth was strategic and purposeful. New branches were established in familiar and previously untapped localities, showcasing Alliance's commitment to serving diverse markets.

Michael Bonello takes us through the trailblazing journey, "We expanded North with the signing on of Graziella Vella with her team, opening Alliance North in St Paul's Bay and Oren Chasanmus opening Alliance Rental Solutions in Sliema. Also in March, we opened Alliance Central Business District and two branches in Fgura – Alliance South with Kevin De Leonardo, Roderick Zahra and Rodnick Abdilla, and Alliance Fgura with Kris Bugeja and his team.

Our nineteenth branch opening was Alliance St Paul's Bay with Ottavio Suda, Natasha Cassar, Margaret Gauci and Marise Camilleri, and the twentieth followed soon after with Alliance The Place, spearheaded by co-owners Chris Cachia and Kristine Bonnici. Then came Alliance Naxxar with Jeffrey Mallia and Marco Satariano in charge. This was another completely new locality for us.

We welcomed two established offices from two other franchise networks in May and June. Mauro Sammut came with his team of 14 sales and letting advisors to open the new Alliance M Estates branch in Gzira, and Charlene Xerri Gatt opened Alliance Gozo with her team also joining en masse.

BCP Properties is another opening we celebrated around the end of June. Co-owners Mantvydas Matthew Narusevicius and Pavle Brajkovski are building a great team at this branch, as is Andrew Agius at Alliance Mosta. Andrew also joined us from another agency to take over this prominent corner office, and it's great seeing him build his team.

More enquiries kept coming in over the summer, and by September, we welcomed Ahmed Ali to open Alliance by Malta Commercial Agency in Ta' Xbiex. Zabbar was another location where we didn't have a branch until it was opened by two Alliance stalwarts – Gordon Valentino and Kenneth Grillo. As much as we love welcoming new people to Alliance, we're excited to see a highly experienced property advisor rise to become a business owner and manager with us.

Mark Molnar is another estate agency owner who decided to forgo his brand to join Alliance with his team of 8 property advisors. Mark is now operating Alliance by Let Buy Mark from a prestigious office on the Sliema front. The last two teams to join us this year also left from an international franchise. Dylan Callus and his team of 12 property advisors joined us to open Alliance Tarxien, and Joe Caruana Curran joined with his 9 advisors to open Alliance Ibrag.

My immense satisfaction is that most of these people left well-established franchise networks or, in some cases, their solo businesses to plug into our system and start working together with positive synergies on the same team. Now I can say that my dream has come true."

2024: A year of consolidation

As the Alliance family nears 400 people, Michael Bonello announces a strategic decision to halt the acceptance of new franchisees in 2024. The focus will shift towards consolidation, optimising operations, and further strengthening the existing branch network to benefit Alliance personnel and clients.

Continuous improvement

Alliance remains dedicated to the continuous improvement of its services. The establishment of the Alliance Academy and this year's collaboration with ICE Malta for digital media training exemplify the commitment to enhancing the skills and expertise of its property advisors. The focus on exclusive listings through the Alliance Selected product, led by industry expert Jeremy Borg Grech, reflects a commitment to excellence and client satisfaction.

Future initiatives

Looking ahead, Alliance plans to continue its trajectory of innovation and growth. The Alliance team, fuelled by a relentless pursuit of excellence, envisions the launch and enhancement of new products, further improvements in market offerings, and the ongoing development of its personnel through comprehensive training programs.

Alliance Real Estate People is a testament to the power of vision, strategic planning, and collaborative efforts. The company has carved a prominent niche in the Maltese real estate market and is redefining industry standards. As the journey continues, the focus remains on unity, innovation, and a commitment to delivering exceptional value to clients.

Follow the unfolding chapters of this remarkable success story at alliance.mt and on social media.

ALLIANCE HEAD OFFICE

Email: hello@alliance.mt

WhatsApp: +356 7779 7909

ALLIANCE ATTARD

Contact: Erika Deguara & Nikki Vella Petroni

Email: helloatt@alliance.mt

ALLIANCE BALZAN

Contact: Jamie Dimech & Lorraine Dimech

Email: hellobzn@alliance.mt

ALLIANCE BY BCP REAL ESTATE

Contact: Pavle Brajkovski