People On the Move at Offerpad and Windermere
A new CFO joins Offerpad as the company looks to “accelerate its near-term growth,” and Windermere appoints a longtime leader as chief development officer.
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.
Jawad Ahsan takes on CFO role at Offerpad
Offerpad has brought on tech and financial veteran Jawad Ahsan to oversee the iBuyer's financial strategy after a turbulent couple of years for the company.
Ahsan will replace Michael Burnett, who led Offerpad through its IPO in 2021.
Offerpad CEO Brian Bair said in a news release that Ahsan's "strengths and expertise will add significant value to Offerpad by helping drive profitable growth and improving our operational excellence."
Ahsan has served as CFO for several other companies including Axon Enterprise, Market Track and General Electric, and he was most recently president of wireless technology company FreePower. His "addition to the Offerpad leadership team amplifies the company's opportunity to accelerate its near-term growth strategy," the release noted.
Offerpad has struggled financially during the market downturn, and it was warned last year by the NYSE that its stock was at risk of being delisted after shares dropped below $1. In June, the iBuyer announced a reverse stock split to increase its trading price and come into compliance.
And the company's finances may have turned a corner — Offerpad slowed losses in the first quarter of 2023, and Bair said the company had "a realistic and achievable plan to hit our operational and financial goals." Offerpad will release its Q2 earnings on August 2.
Scott Wetzel to lead growth efforts as Windermere's chief development officer
Windermere Real Estate has appointed Scott Wetzel to the role of chief development officer.
Wetzel, who has been with the company since 2004 as president of Windermere's Mountain West region, will lead efforts to expand franchise partnerships. Windermere currently has more than 300 offices across 10 Western states and is one of the largest real estate enterprises in the U.S. with $43 billion in sales volume last year.
Geoff Wood, Windermere Real Estate CEO, highlighted Wetzel's track record of driving growth in the region he's overseen for the past 19 years. "Scott has helped open new real estate franchises in numerous areas, and I'm confident he'll be successful at expanding that to the rest of our network," Wood said in a statement.