Fathom Holdings, PLACE make C-suite appointments 

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, or stepped away from, roles that influence the residential real estate landscape.

Fathom appoints new leaders amid BB&B acquisition

New leaders are taking the reins at Fathom Holdings Inc. this week following the ouster of Marco Fregenal, who had been serving as Fathom's CEO and chief financial officer. The C-suite changes were announced as part of the company's announcement that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Bed Bath & Beyond.

Board member gets a big promotion: Adam Rothstein was appointed this week to serve as interim CEO at Fathom, effective immediately. Rothstein was previously a member of Fathom's Audit, Compensation and Nominating & Corporate Governance committees. Rothstein has given up his membership on those committees but will continue serving on Fathom's board as a director, a position he has held since March 2025.

Rothstein, who co-founded the tech investment fund Disruptive Technology Partners, brings a background in venture investing. In addition to his work at Fathom, Rothstein serves on the boards of a handful of tech and media companies, including Buzzfeed Inc., Reservoir Media and CoreMap, according to an 8-K form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Finance exec enters the C-suite: Taking over as chief financial officer is Daniel Weinmann, who has served as Fathom's vice president of finance since joining the company in September 2024. In his new role, Weinmann will be both principal financial officer and principal accounting officer.

The change is effective immediately, the 8-K noted.

Before joining Fathom, Weinmann worked for over eight years at Ernst and Young, where he climbed the ranks from senior advisory consultant to senior manager.

Top exec fired after 14 years with Fathom: Rothstein and Weinmann are taking over for Fregenal, who joined Fathom as CFO in 2012 and added the CEO role to his title in late 2023. Fathom's board of directors terminated Fregenal on June 16 following an internal review that found he had "engaged in conduct inconsistent with the Company's policies, including its Code of Ethics for the Principal Executive Officer," according to the 8-K. Fregenal has also resigned from his position on Fathom's board.

In one of his first official duties as interim CEO, Rothstein issued comments on Fathom's planned acquisition, noting that the company and its shareholders have "a transformational opportunity" ahead.

Bed Bath & Beyond's "broad customer reach and strong brand recognition" paired with Fathom's own real estate tech platform "creates a compelling opportunity to redefine the homeownership lifecycle and build lasting value for our shareholders," he said in a news release.

PLACE names chief strategy officer

Emily Paquette, a growth and revenue executive who spent the past 12 years at Inman, has joined PLACE as the real estate services and tech platform's chief strategy officer.

Paquette announced her appointment in a June 17 post on LinkedIn. Her new role, she explained, will involve spearheading development of the company's consumer subscription business, driving content initiatives and guiding acquisitions "that accelerate our vision."

"What excites me most is the opportunity to build a product that homeowners engage with every day — not just when they're buying or selling a home," Paquette wrote. "The future belongs to companies that create lasting relationships with consumers, and I believe PLACE is uniquely positioned to do exactly that."

Prior to joining PLACE, Paquette led Inman as its CEO for nearly four years, a role she ascended to after serving as the organization's chief revenue officer and overseeing sales and partnership development. Her post noted that she has grown to know PLACE's co-founders over the years and believes they are "building something much bigger than a real estate company."

"Through a nationwide network of trusted advisors and service providers, PLACE is creating a platform that helps homeowners manage, maintain, improve, finance, and maximize the value of their homes throughout the entire homeownership journey," she wrote.

Texas brokerage leader aligns with Real

JP Piccinini, the founder of JPAR Real Estate, will be joining The Real Brokerage as a growth leader, the cloud-based firm announced this week. Piccinini will work closely with Jason Cassity, who was tapped to serve as Real's first-ever chief growth officer earlier this year.

In a news release, Real highlighted Piccinini's success in expanding his brokerage to 22 states, with more than 4,000 agents closing over $5 billion in annual sales. In addition to his experience as an agent and brokerage owner, Piccinini also has a background as a franchisee and franchisor — experience that will be valuable to Real if its planned acquisition of REMAX closes as anticipated.

"I've always believed success is about more than production. It's about building a business that creates freedom, stability and long-term wealth. Real shares that philosophy," Piccinini said, adding that Real "gives agents the tools, collaboration and opportunities to grow their income in multiple ways."

Cassity noted that Piccinini has spent over 20 years "building and scaling companies that empower real estate entrepreneurs."

"He understands what it takes to grow from agent to operator to organization builder, and his experience will be an incredible asset to our community," Cassity added.