Housing.com parent REA India appoints Abhishek Makkar as CTO

Australia-based digital real estate firm REA India, which owns Housing.com and PropTiger in India, on Wednesday said that it has appointed Abhishek Makkar as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Based in the company's Gurugram office, he will lead the Engineering and Data Science Teams and join the REA India Executive Leadership Team, reporting directly to Dhruv Agarwala, CEO.

Makkar has nearly two decades of experience in technology leadership having driven innovation at several global technology companies. In his most recent role at Expedia India as vice president -technology, he spent seven years spearheading core e-commerce technology initiatives. Previously at Amazon, he led global engineering teams focused on retail experiences and alternate delivery.

Dhruv Agarwala, Group CEO, Housing.com & PropTiger.com, said, "We welcome Makkar to our leadership team. His proven track record in scaling technology operations and driving innovation aligns perfectly with our vision for the future. As we continue to transform the home buying, selling and renting journey through technology innovations, Makkar’s expertise will be instrumental in advancing our platform capabilities and extending our technology leadership."

An M.Tech in information technology from the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore, Makkar said that the real estate industry is ripe for technological transformation, and both Housing.com and PropTiger.com are uniquely positioned to lead this change.

“I look forward to working with the talented REA India team to build innovative solutions that will reshape how people discover and access their dream homes. My experience in scaling technology and driving digital innovation aligns perfectly with the group's mission to revolutionise the real estate sector,” he added.

The proptech firm launched its first India global capability centre (GCC) in October in Gurugram and announced plans to increase its India headcount to 10% of its global workforce in the next two years. Dubbed REA Cyber City, it recruited over 50 employees focused on building new capabilities across privacy and data management, improving efficiency and effectiveness in the cloud, and extending products and features. REA has partnered with local Indian market specialists, ANSR, and longstanding partner, Thoughtworks, to establish REA Cyber City.

The company believes that Makkar’s appointment marks a significant milestone in the group's technological evolution and growth journey. His extensive experience in building scalable technology platforms, combined with leadership in driving digital transformation at global companies, positions REA India to accelerate its innovation agenda and enhance its market leadership in the digital real estate space.