New KW leaders given clear mandate: Accelerate growth 

Just two days after longtime Keller Williams executive Jay Papasan publicized his decision to step down as VP of strategic content, the franchise giant has announced the addition of four new leadership roles.

The appointments, the company said, will help drive its strategy to increase agent count and franchise productivity, and to bolster KW's commercial division. The overall theme appears to be "acceleration" — a term used throughout the announcement.

"Great leadership drives growth, and the fastest way to accelerate this is to put proven leaders closest to the opportunity," KW President and CEO Chris Czarnecki said in a news release.

4 KW veterans, 1 outsider appointed to growth-focused roles

The five new leaders, who Czarnecki described as "builders and operators with a track record of turning opportunity into results," are:

• John Clidy, Head of Divisions. A KW veteran who began as a "mega agent" and most recently served as VP of growth for Keller Williams Realty, Clidy will oversee franchise strategy and performance across all 30 North American regions. 

• Sean Hostert, Head of Commercial Operations and Strategy. Hostert comes to KW from the investment world, where he has worked as a financial analyst and consultant overseeing billions in commercial real estate investments. He previously held executive roles at firms including Trio Investment Group/J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Broadstone Net Lease — which Czarnecki led as CEO prior to joining KW.

• Andy Peters and Lesley Peters, Co-Heads of U.S. Growth & Attraction. Both longtime KW leaders — Lesley as an associate broker, coach and Keller Williams University Master Faculty member, and Andy as an operating partner — the duo will develop and drive agent recruiting strategies in conjunction with regional and market center leaders.

• Gabby Maddox Davis, Head of Digital & Social for Growth & Attraction. Currently an operating principal of KW Realty West ATL — the fastest-growing market center in 2024 and 2025, according to the company — Davis will also focus on agent growth through digital marketing.

Going for scale while boosting productivity

The goal is not only to accelerate growth companywide, Czarnecki noted, but to help individual franchise owners and agents "build bigger, more productive, and more profitable businesses."

"Our growth strategy starts with a simple question: how do we create more opportunity for entrepreneurs to thrive?" Czarnecki said. "We have tremendous opportunity, and delivering on it requires leaders who know how to turn vision into execution."

While "agent count is an important measure" of growth, it's not just about the numbers, KW spokesperson Darryl Frost told Real Estate News. "We're focused on attracting the right entrepreneurs."

Reshaping leadership in a shifting brokerage landscape

In March 2025, Keller Williams announced two significant changes: Private Equity firm Stone Point Capital would become the firm's majority owner, and Czarnecki would join the company as president and CEO. 

Under Czarnecki's watch, KW has made a series of executive appointments and promotions, most recently elevating Jason Abrams — formerly KW International's head of industry and learning, and a 25-year KW agent, coach and team leader — to chief industry and strategy officer. 

The reshaping of KW's leadership team appears to signal a new direction for a legacy company that now faces greater competition from a much larger Compass and fast-growing, less-traditional brokerages like Real and eXp, both of which announced major acquisitions this year. 

One thing that isn't changing, the company emphasized, is its focus on culture, which "remains foundational to who we are and how we grow," Frost said. 

"At KW, we've always believed that when entrepreneurs thrive, businesses grow; and our culture, community, education, and shared success model are central to creating that environment. What's evolving is how intentionally we translate those strengths into growth," he added.