You'll Never Be Able to Guess Simon van Kempen's New Career
"I am so proud of him. He has so much mojo right now," #RHONY alum Alex McCord said.
When Alex McCord moved to Australia in late 2014, she wasn't the only one in the family to make a major career change. Her husband, Simon van Kempen, also decided to pursue another profession.
Simon is currently working toward earning his law degree, Alex revealed to The Daily Dish during a recent visit to New York. "Simon thought about law school back when he was 18. This is a theme for us. His brother has had a law firm in Byron Bay [in New South Wales, Australia] for tensomething years," Alex explained. "It's funny because originally we thought that they might move to New York and then do something in business together here, but we all ended up back in Australia."
The Real Housewives of New York City husband's resume includes hotel property management, consulting leaders in the boutique and luxury hotel industry, and social media and marketing. He also co-authored the parenting book Little Kids, Big City with Alex, and even released his own single called "I Am Real," which he memorably performed on Watch What Happens Live.
As Simon studies to become a lawyer at Southern Cross University, he is serving as a director of van Kempen & Associates, according to the law firm's website. "So Simon has teamed up with his brother and opened a second office. And so he's kind of the chief rainmaker and guy who makes things happen as he gets his law degree," Alex said. "You know when something is so right, it just clicks? They went into this joint venture together, and it has just skyrocketed, which is just amazing. I am so proud of him. He has so much mojo right now. He's on fire, which is fantastic."
Alex, who is pursuing a new career in psychology, said that Simon hopes to focus on property law and "conveyancing all things real estate" once he is able to practice. Even though Simon is a native Aussie, Alex said that being back in his home country has been a bit of an adjustment for her hubby as well, just as it has been for her and their children, Francois, 13, and Johan, 11. "So that's funny. Simon was out of Australia for 33 years, and we all needed to know that it was going to be a massive culture shock for him as well, because obviously the Australia that he left is not the Australia that he came back to. It's a completely different world for him as well," Alex said. "So we've all gone through a transition, and we're going through it together, which is the most important thing. We're all really supporting each other, and we have the support of his family, which is just fantastic."
Find out more about Alex's new career, below.
