Liz Gehringer Named President of Coldwell Banker Affiliate Business

Join us in congratulating Liz on her new role

Please join us in congratulating Liz Gehringer on her new role as president of Coldwell Banker Affiliate Business!  Liz will also remain in her current role serving as chief operating officer, continuing to drive strategic growth and leverage the company’s global presence. Liz has successfully held the COO position for nearly two years.

In this capacity, she oversees the brand’s franchise operations, field services, international business and the Coldwell Banker and Coldwell Banker Commercial affiliates — a franchise network comprised of more than 1,400 offices in the U.S. and 628 international offices with more than 50,000 affiliated agents across 40 countries and territories, and 3,000 affiliated commercial real estate professionals in North America and around the globe. 

“Liz is a remarkably determined leader who has earned tremendous respect from our franchisees and broker owners from around the world, because she genuinely cares for them and works with her focus on their business success,” said M. Ryan Gorman, CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC.

In her role, Liz focuses on strategic initiatives that leverage the company’s robust global presence and both affiliate and company-owned relationships to foster worldwide referral opportunities and tactical partnerships that drive rapid growth for affiliated broker owners in both residential and commercial spaces. This includes ensuring the Coldwell Banker brand attracts and nurtures strong franchisees, and recruits and retains the highest quality real estate agents across all key markets. 

In addition to cultivating programs that enhance affiliate and agent growth and retention for the Coldwell Banker network, Liz looks forward to capitalizing on the recent successful rebranding of Coldwell Banker Real Estate, Coldwell Banker Commercial and the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury program to continue to elevate brand recognition worldwide and build synergies throughout the organizations.

Liz will pay particular attention to those initiatives that harness the success of the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury program to support agent growth in affluent markets globally, and she will continue to play a leadership role in the International Luxury Alliance. Liz will also remain sharply focused on driving the Coldwell Banker Commercial business forward.

After leading a successful pivot of events and offerings to virtual and hybrid settings, Liz will now oversee events across the entire Coldwell Banker network. Premier events not only include celebrated and industry recognized training seminars and panels, but also encompass the company’s marquee annual conference, Gen Blue, which welcomes franchisees, broker-owners and agents from around the world.  

In her time as COO, Liz has worked to deliver enhanced customer service to the Coldwell Banker affiliated companies as well as an improved product offering, while collaborating with the network to extend their relationships with the Coldwell Banker brand, achieving an unprecedented level of franchisee renewal, and retaining an extraordinary level of revenue in the first eight months of 2021. 

With an eye for opportunity, Liz recently led the sale of the Coldwell Banker Canada business, which she had been overseeing, to a growth-oriented affiliate. She has worked closely with M. Ryan Gorman, CEO of Coldwell Banker, to add many talented and diverse owners to the network through the Coldwell Banker Inclusive Ownership offering, and she has become the voice of many in the industry as the leader of the Coldwell Banker What Moves Her initiative for women in the business. She has enjoyed her current term as executive sponsor of Realogy Women’s Employee Resource Group.

It’s not just the Coldwell Banker family who recognize and honor Liz for her many talents. She was named a RISMedia NewsMaker in 2021 and named to HousingWire’s 2019 Women of Influence list for her outstanding efforts in driving the U.S. housing market forward.

While Liz has her eyes on business growth, her heart never strays from having a high performing culture. Her team, their development, and the culture they create together is critically important to Liz. Prior to her role as COO, Liz served as senior vice president, chief ethics and compliance officer at Realogy Holdings Corp., the parent company of Coldwell Banker Real Estate. During her time with Realogy, Liz built an ethics and compliance program that received global attention, with Ethisphere Institute recognizing Realogy as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for seven consecutive years under her leadership. This is an award that reflects the principles of Realogy, mirrors the values on which the Coldwell Banker brand was built, and represents a tradition of operating ethically that continues today. Liz’s combination of operational, franchise and legal experience, as well as her proven ability to build culturally connected organizations and lead them, uniquely position her to drive strategic growth in her new role. 

Liz has been a part of Realogy leadership since 2006, including her tenure as general counsel for the Realogy Franchise Group from 2007 to 2012. In that role, Liz gained a holistic understanding of the franchising process and franchise operations. Liz received both her undergraduate degree and her J.D. from Georgetown University. She started her career in sales and marketing at Ford Motor Co., where she gained an understanding of branding and field services which has served her well in the real estate industry. She also served as an associate and counsel with Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C. 

“With an enhanced emphasis on growth markets, and further cultivating strategic partnerships across our network and the industry, I am confident that with Liz at the helm, our company and the talented entrepreneurs who chose to call Coldwell Banker home are well positioned for rapid growth and celebrated success,” concluded Ryan.

All of us at Coldwell Banker most heartily agree with Ryan’s sentiments. Congratulations Liz!

Athena Snow

Senior Manager, Public Relations & Giving for Coldwell Banker. Grew up in Sarasota and attended college at Western Carolina University. Athena wanted to wake up in that city that doesn’t sleep so headed to Madison Avenue to start her marketing career. She has been with this awesome brand for more than 15 years and can be found generating buzz about CB in every way possible. Athena helps to grow the brand’s position as the most storied real estate company within the industry and has led many high-profile endeavors; she was at the forefront of the brand’s pioneering smart home campaign, raised $6 million in two years to build 130 Habitat for Humanity homes, and led the Homes for Dogs program in partnership with Adopt-a-Pet.com that resulted in tens-of-thousands of dogs finding their furever home. She currently leads the CB Supports St. Jude program, which encourages the Coldwell Banker network’s 96,000+ real estate agents to make donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for every real estate transaction they represent. In her spare time, you can find her either digging up a new area in her yard for another flower bed or planning her next travel adventure. She's the proud mom of three cats Jolene, Ziggy and Lucy.