Oliver Essex, the 338th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, feels blessed to now call Sydney home.

Oliver arrived earlier this year, courtesy of a change of career, several changes of location and a marriage.

Oliver grew up in England. He excelled in sprinting when he was younger and loved working out, so he became a personal trainer. He enjoyed his job, but was hungry for adventure and new experiences, so he decided to try his luck in Dubai.

He fell in love with his new home – the energy, sunshine and social scene were very much to his tastes. After a few years, he decided to shift to real estate, partly for financial reasons and partly because working as a trainer was putting too much pressure on his body.

Oliver is very well suited to sales. Not because he’s pushy and likes to talk; but because he’s genuinely interested in building relationships and being of service. He also enjoys the challenge of putting together a deal. Oliver enjoyed a successful career selling multimillion-dollar properties in several Middle Eastern countries – UAE, Qatar and Oman – to high-net-worth individuals from around the world.

Along the way, he met his future wife, a Sydneysider who also worked in real estate. Besides living in Dubai, they did a stint in England and Qatar, before relocating to Sydney in March.

Oliver loves the lifestyle and natural beauty of Sydney. He hasn’t been able to work yet, due to visa conditions, but that situation will change next month. Oliver is looking forward to jumping back into real estate, and again focusing on the exclusive part of the market in which he specialises.

I know Oliver is going to be a big success, thanks to his skills, experience and personality. One day, I hope to have enough money to buy one of his properties.