Villa Contact is one of the most highly respected real estate agencies in Ibiza, with dynamic young owners and impressive international connections. It is a family business that is run by three siblings, and how this came to be is a wonderful Ibiza story. The agency was founded in 1983 by their mother Montse Amat Gray. The office is located right on the main paseo of Santa Eulalia, and it quickly became the place where people could find out the latest information about Ibiza properties. It was also the place where you could stop in and say hello to Montse. Despite running an ever-growing agency while raising three lovely children, Montse always seemed to have time for a chat - in Spanish, English, French, German or Catalan. The business continued to thrive as her children grew up and found success in other parts of the world, but in 2011 it all came to a sudden end. Montse’s passing was a tragic and unforeseen event that was a shock for the family, and for all of us who knew this wonderful woman.

Tom, Robbie, Montse and Clea, 1988

Clea, Tom and Robbie, 2024

In the midst of their grief, the family also needed to decide what to do with Villa Contact. Montse’s husband Kingsley (Bunny) Gray, a prominent businessman on the island, talked it over with his three grown children: daughter Clea and two sons Robbie and Tom. Each of them had been born and raised on Ibiza, before going off to higher education in England. They all had developed successful careers that spanned the globe, so it would not be easy for them to come back and save their mother’s company. But the family ties were strong, and their love of Ibiza was always a part of who they were. 

Clea was the first to answer the call, and her professional experience was well suited to the task. Her advanced studies in England had been in business and tourism. This led to a career in public relations that was centred on the London property market. Clea put her career on hold, and returned home to see if it was possible to revive Villa Contact. With consummate grace and style she picked up the pieces and started to put the business back together. It was a rough time for realtors as the industry was still struggling in the shadows of the 2009 economic crash. This was quite a challenging situation for Clea to handle alone, but help was on the way.

Brother Robbie had lived in China for a number of years, and was well established in the higher echelons of that country’s property market. His expertise was organizing real estate deals for large western companies that wanted a commercial presence in China. Over the years Robbie had learned to speak fluent Chinese, and his business was doing well. But the call of family was too strong, so he wrapped up the deals that he was working on and headed back home to help his sister. Together they were able to get Villa Contact back on its feet, and eventually the property market began to strengthen. The agency was growing quickly, and more help was needed. Once again, the perfect answer was right in the family.

Brother Tom had created a successful career in the fast-paced business of executive search, that entails identifying and targeting employees to fill important corporate job openings. It is a high pressure job, and Tom started out doing it in the highest pressure locale - New York City. From there he moved to Hong Kong, where he lived and worked for six years until coming back home in 2014 to complete the family trio. The rental business at Villa Contact was growing rapidly, so Tom’s experience and charisma made him the perfect fit to take it over. You might say that his final executive search client was himself!

This team of siblings, along with office manager Doris Novac, have taken Villa Contact to new heights. Their hard work and dedication to their clients has earned them a reputation for dependability, innovation and integrity. Recently they have become affiliated with the global real estate agency Knight Frank of London. This prestigious company has a network of 488 offices across 57 territories, and they wanted to establish a presence in the Ibiza market. Choosing to work with Villa Contact gives them a partner with deep local roots and solid professional standing. The advantage for Villa Contact is that they are the exclusive Ibiza agency for Knight Frank’s many clients throughout the world. It’s another indication of how this dynamic family business continues to grow and prosper. Their mother would be very proud.