Marc King departs KW president role amid layoffs
CEO Mark Willis adds “president” to his title and confirms that about 30 people have been let go from the company.
Keller Williams President Marc King has stepped down from his executive role effective immediately, saying in a statement shared on March 11 that "my heart is full of gratitude for every opportunity I have had there."
The shift is part of a broader reduction in force at Keller Williams, which laid off approximately 30 people over the past week.
"We wish all these people the very best and are massively grateful for their contributions," said CEO Mark Willis, who will add the role of president to his title.
Willis said the layoffs reflect "the direction to get back to our core strengths and advantages (coaching, training, and proprietary technology)."
King, who had been president since February 2021, will continue to work with Keller Williams as a Franchise Systems Orientation leader and on "Team Leader and Keller Williams experiences."
"These are areas in which Marc is passionate and arguably peerless in his ability to be influential," Willis said.
King has been a part of the company since 2003 and speaks of it with love for the people and the work. "It's changed my life," he told Real Estate News last May. "I intend to be here as long as they'll have me."
He also appeared to foreshadow his departure from the president role, saying there wouldn't be any "Game of Thrones stuff" when he goes because his relationship with Keller is too transparent for that. "I've told him if the day comes when you don't see me as a 10 out of 10 and there's someone who can do the job better, I would love to help that person."
The past six months have seen significant shifts at the top for Keller Williams.
Willis, who had been KW CEO between 2005 and 2015, moved back into the role in November, closing a contentious chapter in his relationship with the company. KW Co-founder and Executive Chairman Gary Keller had been acting as CEO on an interim basis since the departure of Carl Liebert in 2022.
Growth is "1,000%" the top priority, Willis told attendees at the company's Family Reunion event last month. After highlighting achievements such as KW's recent $70 million settlement in buyer commission cases, Willis said it was time to put more fuel in the engine and for agents "to own your full potential."