People On the Move at ERA, BHGRE, Coldwell Banker, Poplar Homes
Change is afoot at Anywhere brands, where 2 new presidents are filling the role vacated by Sherry Chris and regional leadership has shifted at Coldwell Banker.
Editor's note: As an industry with millions of agents and over 100,000 brokerage companies, new leaders rise to the top every day. Here we highlight executives and other notable leaders who've recently taken on roles that influence the residential real estate landscape.
Anywhere's ERA and BHGRE brands have new leaders
Previously helmed by industry icon Sherry Chris, who announced her retirement from brand leadership in April, ERA Real Estate and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate have two new presidents.
Alex Vidal now leads Anywhere's ERA brand, while Ginger Wilcox heads up BHGRE.
Vidal, who began his real estate career at age 19, is not new to the ERA family, having previously worked as an agent and vice president at an ERA affiliate in South Florida. His recent leadership roles include president at RelatedISG International Realty and regional vice president at Coldwell Banker in Dallas. He is also a regional board member of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP).
"Having spent the majority of his career in roles throughout ERA and Coldwell Banker, Alex is a shining example of how Anywhere has been able to harness and elevate great talent within our organization," said Sue Yannaccone, president and CEO of Anywhere Brands and Anywhere Advisors in a news release.
President and CEO of Anywhere Franchise Brands Liz Gehringer, whose role expanded in March, added that Vidal's "knack for agent and brokerage growth, authentic focus on service, and proven team building ability will be an asset to our entire network around the world."
ERA's global network includes more than 40,000 affiliated brokers and agents across the U.S. and 34 other countries and territories.
Ginger Wilcox, BHGRE's new brand president, is a third-generation real estate agent with experience across the residential real estate and mortgage industry as well as a background in technology.
Wilcox's first foray into real estate was in 2002 when she launched an award-winning online real estate brand and brokerage. She later held executive roles at Trulia, mortgage software provider Capsilon and wholesale mortgage company Homepoint, and was most recently Co-CEO at RealSure, Anywhere's homebuying program that ended earlier this year.
"Ginger is the perfect person to lead the premier real estate lifestyle brand of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate as she is experienced at growing companies and differentiating the unique value of brands," said Gehringer.
Yannaccone also pointed to Wilcox's brand-building expertise, noting that she "understands how to harness the power of a brand while keeping an eye toward innovating for the future."
The BHGRE network includes 420 offices globally and more than 12,000 affiliated brokers and agents.
Coldwell Banker shakes up regional leadership, appoints regional EVP to new role
ERA and BHGRE weren't the only Anywhere brands to see a shift in leadership this month. Coldwell Banker Realty, one of Anywhere's largest franchise brands, promoted seven leaders to the newly created role of regional president.
Several Coldwell Banker metro areas were unified under larger regions; the new regional presidents now have expanded roles that include the oversight of additional offices. The move will also result in the elimination of the roles of four presidents whose regions have been absorbed by the new regional presidents.
It's the first big strategic shift in operations since Kamini Lane took over as president and CEO of Coldwell Banker following the exit of Ryan Gorman in December.
"We are investing in the growth of some of our most influential leaders while unlocking new ways to serve our markets through a more specialized structure at the regional level," said Lane. She said the restructuring would allow the company "to move with greater speed and agility," leading to an improved transaction experience.
The new regional presidents include:
Pauline Bennett, regional president of New England overseeing 94 offices across five states
Rob Norman, regional president of the area covering New Jersey, Philadelphia and Central Pennsylvania, and Rockland and Westchester Counties in New York, overseeing 73 offices
Duff Rubin, regional president of Florida, Atlanta, the Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic overseeing 129 offices
Joe King, regional president of Greater Ohio, Pittsburgh, Minnesota and St. Louis overseeing 62 offices
Ayoub Rabah, regional president of Greater Chicago, Michigan, and Texas overseeing 84 offices
Chris Jensen, regional president of the Southwest region, overseeing 40 offices in Arizona, Colorado and Utah
Jennifer Lind, regional president of the West region, overseeing 124 offices in California, Hawaii, and the Pacific Northwest
Meanwhile, Kate Rossi, the executive vice president of Coldwell Banker's large eastern region, was appointed president of agent engagement & sales leadership development for Anywhere Brands and Anywhere Advisors.
Rossi has been with Coldwell Banker for four decades, beginning her real estate career as an agent in Pennsylvania. She will lead a newly formed team that spans Anywhere's owned brokerage and its six franchise brands, reporting to Sue Yannaccone, president and CEO of Anywhere Brands and Anywhere Advisors. The team will offer personalized coaching, mentorship and sales enablement strategies for field teams. It will serve real estate professionals of all levels, from sales associates to metro presidents, according to a news release.
"There are few people better suited to represent and advocate for the interests of our field teams than Kate Rossi," said Yannaccone, who noted that Rossi has mentored countless agents throughout her career.
Poplar Homes creates new executive role
The tech-enabled property management company has expanded its C-Suite, naming Lydia Bowers as Poplar's first Chief People Officer.
Bowers has been an HR leader across multiple industries. Most recently, she was VP of People at Flexcar, and previously built the people organizations at a fast casual restaurant startup and VC-based investment platform.
"Poplar has always been a people-first organization. As we continue to grow the size and complexity of our company, we're thrilled to add Lydia to our executive team," said Poplar CEO Greg Toschi.
Poplar has been in growth mode, making 16 acquisitions in the past year and expanding its national footprint. The company added another C-level position in October when Michael Prinn was hired as Chief Financial Officer.